Airfares for Israel’s holidays are sky high

Despite the return to Israel of many foreign companies, the very high demand during the Tishrei holiday season is pushing up airfares to incredibly expensive levels.

Even flights to destinations that are considered relatively cheap, such as Montenegro and Azerbaijan, are reaching round-trip fares of over $500 and even more, while for more distant destinations, fares are skyrocketing. On El Al, for example, it is no longer possible to find economy class seats to New York, and anyone who still wants to fly to the city for Rosh Hashanah will have to part with at least $4,000 for a premium class seat, according to the company’s website.

So why is this happening? There are various reasons. Firstly, the desire of many Israelis to go on vacation after a long period in which they have not traveled abroad due to the security situation. Secondly, Israelis who might not have traveled recently because airfares are so expensive are resigned to the fact that fares are unlikely to become cheaper. This is in addition to the holiday schedule this year, which allows for a relatively long vacation without using almost any vacation days from work. The upcoming holidays are expected to be particularly busy at Ben Gurion Airport, and if everything goes as planned, passenger numbers will climb to levels reminiscent of normal times, with more than 80,000 passengers traveling abroad.

Fares aree rising as time passes

“Globes” examined fares to five high demand destinations at the peak of the holiday season. According to Ophir Tours round-trip fares to Larnaca on Cyprus Airways start at $202, to Athens on Arkia at $428, to London with Wizz Air at $618, to Rome with Wizz Air at $515 and to New York with Arkia at $1,665.

But these are just the starting prices. In the aviation industry, pricing is dynamic, and as cheap tickets run out or as departure time approaches, fares only climb higher, especially around busy periods such as holidays. So it is important to stress once again that these are opening prices that are correct for the date of the check, which tend to climb as the cheap tickets run out and as the departure date approaches.

During the corresponding holiday period last year, the Israeli aviation industry was in an unprecedented crisis. The number of passengers at Ben Gurion Airport reached its lowest point following the escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon, after the assassination of Nasrallah, and the second Iranian attack on Israel.

At the same time, EASA, the EU’s aviation safety agency, advised European airlines not to fly to Israel. With the exception of Israeli airlines and a few outside Europe, no airlines operated here, even those that had shown loyalty in the past. The EASA advisory was only lifted after the holidays but re-imposed for several weeks in June when Israeli airspace was closed for several weeks during the Iran operation.

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High fares even to nearby countries

In the past 18 months, the destinations preferred by Israelis has changed. Classic European destinations have been pushed aside in favor of Eastern Europe, the Balkan countries, and especially nearby countries of less than four hours flight time, which allow for a short and cheap trip. These are mainly countries that are perceived as safer and where pro-Palestinian protests are less prominent.

Destinations such as Albania, Azerbaijan, and Montenegro have risen in popularity on the travel map for Israelis with a rise of tens of percent in demand, alongside Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, and Bulgaria, which were popular even before. However, it is precisely these destinations, which have recently gained popularity, that suffer from supply that is not keeping up with demand, and fares are skyrocketing.

According to data from “Secret Flights,” the starting price for a round-trip flight to Baku during the Tishrei holidays is $512. The starting price for Tirana, Albania, is $456. A flight to Tivat in Montenegro, which takes about 3 hours, will start at $525 – price levels that almost overtake Rome and approach the prices of tickets to London.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on August 26, 2025.

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