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The Gaza conflict decimated tourism in Israel, but with a ceasefire deal enacted, many European airlines are already making plans to reinstate their flights.
ADVERTISEMENTThe surprise attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023 saw the tourism industry shut down almost overnight. Governments around the world issued warnings to their citizens not to travel to the Middle Eastern country, and airlines cut their services.But with a historic ceasefire deal agreed, hopes are high that getting to and from Israel will start to become a lot easier.Several European airlines have already announced the resumption of their services to Tel Aviv, although rather cautiously. Here are the announcements so far.Which airlines plan to return to Israel soon?As the dust settles on the ceasefire agreement, European airlines are already preparing to reinstate their flights to Israel.According to OAG data, European airlines have already scheduled Israel flights through the spring, adding hundreds more to the route. By mid-May, there will be over 1,200 flights a week to Tel Aviv, up from less than 850 this week.US airlines, on the other hand, have been slower to return. None of the ‘big three’ – Delta, American and United – have yet publicised new flights.“Every airline will be keen to return to the market as soon as possible while complying with the necessary advisories,” said John Grant, partner at Midas Aviation, an analytics company. “Airlines operating shorter sectors will be easier to find than those from the United States for instance.”Grant added that availability of aircraft was a key factor in the quicker return of European airlines.Two of the early movers in Europe are Germany’s behemoth Lufthansa Group and Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air.Wizz Air suspended its flights to Israel in October 2023, pulling more than 270 weekly services from its schedule. Ahead of the ceasefire, it began slowly reinstating its services on 15 January, with connections to London, Budapest, Vienna, Milan, Warsaw and Athens. It also resumed its flights to Amman, Jordan, on 16 January.The Lufthansa Group, which also includes SWISS, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, has announced a return to Israel on 1 February. However, it is maintaining its suspension of flights to Tehran until 14 February and Beirut until 28 February.Most recently announced are British Airways and Italian airline ITA Airways.ITA will restart flights between Rome and Tel Aviv from 1 February but with just one flight per day. Based on what the airline describes as “the evolution of the geopolitical scenario”, it plans to up this to two daily flights from 16 February.British Airways intends to return to Israel on 5 April. Like ITA, it will begin with a single daily flight, increasing to double daily from 20 April.Air France intends to resume its Paris to Tel Aviv route on 24 January, according to Reuters, while Beirut will restart on 31 January. Its subsidiary Transavia France expects to resume Tel Aviv flights on 27 January.ADVERTISEMENTIts sister airline, KLM, will maintain its suspension of Israel services until 29 March, as will its own low-cost subsidiary Transavia.Low-cost Leviathan Ryanair hasn’t firmed up plans to return to Israel, but says it is preparing to operate a full schedule by the summer. However, schedule filings with OAG suggest it could be planning a return as soon as 30 March.”We rely on (European aviation regulator) EASA guidance … but our view is that we will be back,” said Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair DAC.”We’ve got a full schedule I think for Tel Aviv…so we will be back there for the summer as I think most of the other airlines will be.”Competitor easyJet, a favourite with Israeli flyers, confirmed it won’t begin flying to Tel Aviv until 1 June. When it does recommence, it will connect London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Basel, Geneva, Nice and Milan. ADVERTISEMENT“We are really pleased that as of the beginning of June, we plan to resume flights between Tel Aviv and seven destinations across our network,” says Ali Gayward, UK and Israel country manager. “As the first low-cost carrier to fly to Israel, we have a long history in the country and remain committed to our customers.”Eastern European low-cost airline airBaltic has planned a return to Israel in April, with the airline noting that “airBaltic continues to closely monitor the situation and is following all recommendations from relevant authorities.” “The safety of our passengers, crew, and flights remains our highest priority, and any adjustments to our operations will be made with this in mind.”Which airlines never stopped flying to Israel?Although the vast majority of the world’s airlines pulled their Israel services soon after the conflict began, some carriers never stopped flying at all.ADVERTISEMENTHomegrown airlines EL AL and Arkia had no choice but to continue flying despite the risks. But risk-taking does have its rewards.National carrier EL AL generated a record $1 billion (€970 million) in revenue during the July to September quarter, with profits up almost 260 per cent compared to the year before. Having the market all to itself was great for the airline, but with more carriers coming back to the country, that will soon change.Aside from the Israeli airlines, several carriers never stopped their flights to the country. In particular, Middle Eastern carriers have seen the maintenance of their services as politically important following the UAE’s diplomatic recognition of Israel in 2020.Etihad has kept flying into Tel Aviv throughout the conflict. So has flyDubai, which has held up an impressive schedule of services over the 15 months.ADVERTISEMENTEmirates did continue its services for some months, but cancelled all flights from early October 2024 following the Iranian air strike on Israel. Euronews Travel has reached out for clarification on when these services will restart.Is it safe to travel to Israel?The UK Foreign Office (FCDO), which is quick to update its advice following political turmoil, lifted some of its travel warnings for Israel in December. Specifically, it no longer warned against ‘all but essential travel’ to many tourist hotspots including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat, the Dead Sea, Galilee and Haifa.The FCDO still advises against all but essential travel to areas within some parts of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories including Gaza and the West Bank. It also advises against travel to areas within 500 metres of the border with Syria and Gaza.National advice varies by country. France, for example, says its citizens are “still advised not to travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, except for compelling reasons.”ADVERTISEMENTGermany says, “Travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories is warned against.” Spain says, “Given the situation in the region following the Iranian attack on Israel on April 14 and the possibility of flight cancellations, travel to Israel is not recommended.”However, many of these travel warnings have not been updated since the January ceasefire was enacted. Israel is most definitely open for business, and since the ceasefire, will be hoping for a return of tourists this summer. If you’re considering visiting Israel, stay up to date with travel advisories and check the latest situation before you go to stay ahead of any changes.
