Israel Airports Authority has announced that eight international airlines are planning to partially resume services to Israel in the upcoming month. Among these airlines are Air France, Bluebird Airways, and Bulgaria Air, who are set to resume certain lines this month.
In addition to these airlines, TUS, Transavia, LOT, and Vueling also have plans to restart partial service during the same period. Air Europa is aiming to restart flights to Madrid at the beginning of February.
However, the airlines have cautioned that their decision may change based on security developments. They have warned that flights to Israel may be postponed again if the security situation worsens.
Despite the challenges, some airlines have already restarted their flights to Israel. This includes airlines such as Lufthansa Group (including SWISS and Austrian airlines), Tarom, and Aegan.
Following Hamas attacks in October 2023, several airlines had cancelled or reduced flights to Israel. This resulted in a 41% drop in passenger numbers at Ben-Gurion Airport in October 2023 compared to the previous year.
During this time, Israeli airlines such as El Al, Israir, and Arkia operated most of the limited flights. However, foreign airlines like Flydubai, Ethiopian Airlines, and Etihad Airways continued their flights to Israel throughout the conflict, despite numerous cancellations.
In October 2023, Ben-Gurion Airport recorded 1,172,435 international passengers, marking a 41.25% decrease from the previous year. Additionally, there were 9,078 international flights, reflecting a decrease of 28.9% compared to the same month in 2022.
Despite the challenges, Tel Aviv Airport has remained operational, and there has been a slight rise in daily passenger traffic in recent weeks. Travelers should stay updated with airline announcements and travel advisories regarding flights to Israel.
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