Ben Gurion airport’s Terminal 1 will reopen on Monday, August 3. This will be the first time Terminal 1 has resumed regular operations since Israel’s operation against Iran in June, and after a long period of uncertainty in which foreign airlines have been hesitant about flying to Israel. In the first stage only Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia and Israir will use the terminal together with Georgian Airways and shortly after Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air will also use Terminal 1. The hope is that major low-cost foreign airlines Ryanair, easyJet and Transavia, which have flown to Israel in the past, will soon be back.
During August about 500 international flights are scheduled to use Terminal 1, a considerable achievement given the circumstances of the war, but much lower than activity during normal times. In August 2023 over 1,800 flights operated there.
The reopening of the terminal is planned, among other things, to ease congestion in Terminal 3 in the middle of August, as well as to deal with a shortage of employees at the Israel Airports Authority that led to exceptional delays last week. The move is also intended to encourage foreign airlines to return to Israel, due to the lower airport taxes in Terminal 1 compared with Terminal 3, a fact that makes operating there particularly attractive for low-cost carriers.
However, apart from Wizz Air, major low-cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet have not yet resumed operations in Israel. easyJet has even suspended its Tel Aviv operations until the end of March 2026, a dramatic step that indicates a lack of confidence in the certainty of operating flights from Israel. Since it is a UK company, British public opinion may have had an influence on the decision. Ryanair also extended the suspension of its flights until the end of October, but the possibility of an early return remains in question. Ryanair has spoken out strongly in the past about not reopening the terminal, even though the company passes on the cost of airport taxes to passengers.
Terminal 1 serves domestic flights alongside international flights
Terminal 1 is the home terminal for domestic flights to Eilat, but airlines also operate international flights from it, mostly to nearby destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. El Al unit Sun D’Or will operate flights from Terminal 1 to Belgrade, Tbilisi, Batumi, Tirana (Monday-Wednesday), Paphos, Larnaca, Heraklion, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Thessaloniki and Lefkada. Georgian Airways will operate to Tbilisi. Israir and Arkia currently do not have fixed destinations departing from Terminal 1 (except Eilat), and passengers are asked to check in advance which terminal their flight will depart from.
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Low-cost airline Wizz Air is also expected to begin moving some of its flights from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, but it has not yet announced which flights will be moved to Terminal 1. All of the company’s destinations can depart from both terminals: Budapest and Larnaca from August 8, London from August 22, and a number of additional destinations, including Vienna, Bucharest, Iasi, Rome, Milan and Sofia. Wizz Air’s remaining routes will resume operations on September 15. The airline recommends checking in advance which terminal the flight is departing from.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on July 31, 2025.
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