After two years of war during which Israeli airlines enjoyed an unprecedented share of the market at Ben Gurion airport, the gradual return of foreign carriers is reshaping the aviation landscape. El Al’s share price which rose strongly during the war has fallen 14% since the start of the month as investors see greater competition returning to the Israeli tourism market.
Meanwhile, foreign airlines already operating in Israel are expressing confidence and are working to increase their presence at Ben Gurion Airport. Shortly after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint press conference on the Gaza agreement, US carrier United Airlines announced that it would increase the frequency of flights on Tel Aviv – New York route, so that in the summer of 2026 it will operate four more weekly flights.
The move follows United’s plan to resume direct flights from Tel Aviv to Chicago and Washington DC next month. This will make it the only US airline to operate direct flights to three cities in the US, while Delta still operates flights to New York only, and American does not even show signs of returning to Israel.
In the Gulf, Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways has announced that it will increase the frequency of its route to Tel Aviv to five flights a day starting this December, compared with the current – a total of 34 weekly flights. The expansion of flights comes after a period in which the company had already established its position as one of the few that continued to fly to Israel even at the height of security tensions, and became, together with flyDubai, a prominent alternative for Israelis flying east, in the absence of Turkish Airlines.
Gradual recovery since August
The recovery in Israel’s aviation sector began even before the announcement of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage deal. In August, foreign airlines such as United, Wizz Air and the Lufthansa Group began to cautiously and gradually return, followed by Delta. KLM and Air Canada returned as planned in late September, and Swiss, part of the Lufthansa Group, which had planned to resume flights later than the other group companies, brought forward its planned return from late October to late September. With Eurowings’ planned return at the end of October, Lufthansa Group will complete a full return. Although it has not yet officially confirmed it, British Airways should resume Israel flights as planned on October 26.
Airlines such as Greece’s Sky Express, which will begin Israel flights in December, Romania’s Animawings, which has already begun operating in Israel, and Scandinavia’s SAS, which will begin services at the end of this month after a nine-year hiatus from operating in Israel, as well as Spain’s Iberia, all announced that they would resume flights to Israel, even before the Gaza agreement was signed.
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Already now, with the return of foreign airlines still in full swing, fare reductions are being offered to a range of destinations, including through connections. For example, there are round trip British Airways offers to Las Vegas from $713 and SAS offers to Chicago from $718. This is in addition to other destinations to which it is not possible to fly directly, such as in Central and South America, such as Havana with Iberia.
Assuming that Israel’s political situation improves with the end of the war, we may see Israeli passengers passing through airports in Saudi Arabia on their way to destinations in the East.
On thew other hand, there are also airlines that are not expected to return this winter. Air India, which is still dealing with the consequences of its plane crash six months ago, is not expected to resume its flights until early 2026. Even before the ceasefire was signed, major low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet announced that they would abandon the current winter season in Israel.
Ryanair has accused the Israel Airports Authority of failings regarding the issue of slots – the landing and takeoff times allocated to companies – and claims that the uncertainty at Ben Gurion Airport makes it difficult for it to plan its schedules. Until these disputes are resolved, the industry estimates that the likelihood that the Irish low-cost carrier will return earlier than planned remains low.
The airlines yet to announce Israel flight resumptions
Foreign airlines know that the Israeli market is lucrative. If the ceasefire holds, a surge in demand is forecast, as after the Covid pandemic, when Israelis rushed to travel abroad. Moreover, Israelis are used to paying high fares and it is possible that some airlines will exploit this.
However, a rapid return of foreign airlines is not expected, but rather a gradual and cautious one, especially from airlines in countries where there is diplomatic tension with Israel, such as Turkey, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt. In addition, the UAE’s Emirates, which in the meantime operates only through its subsidiary flyDubai, may soon announce a return to activity, but as of now none of these companies have officially contacted the Israeli authorities to examine the possibility.
Virgin Atlantic may also reconsider its return to Israel, although it previously announced the cancellation of the Tel Aviv route “until further notice.” It is possible that the connection with its Israeli CEO Shai Weiss, will help promote the move and increase competition on routes to London, where there is currently a shortage due to the absence of easyJet and (until later this month) British Airways.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on October 16, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
