World
Lufthansa, ITA Airways resume flights to and from Ben Gurion after Iran war halt
German carrier Lufthansa and Italy’s ITA Airways resumed flight operations to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, with more European airlines expected to follow this month, after having suspended them due to the US-Israel war against Iran and heightened regional tensions.
Several foreign airlines have already resumed operations to and from Israel after a ceasefire on April 8 halted the fighting with Iran, but the majority of them have held off.
The Lufthansa group — which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — restarted flight services to and from Israel in a phased manner from June.
Austrian Airlines resumed flights to and from Tel Aviv on June 2. Eurowings is expected to return to Tel Aviv by mid-July, and SWISS plans to begin operating a daily flight on the Zurich–Tel Aviv route from August 1.
Spanish carrier Air Europe renewed flights between Madrid and Tel Aviv on June 29.
Meanwhile, other major foreign airlines, including Air France, have continued to cancel flight services to and from Israel through July 2, and British Airways has canceled services up to October.
US carriers, including Delta, have pushed back their return to September.
Since the full reopening of the country’s airspace in early April following the temporary ceasefire agreement that halted the joint US-Israel military campaign against Iran, travelers have been mostly reliant on Israeli airlines as the majority of foreign carriers have not rushed to return to Israel.
Now, with the recent memorandum of understanding that the US and Iran signed — officially halting all fighting between the two countries — foreign airlines are set to resume flights and offer Israeli passengers more options during the busy summer travel season.
Parking at Ben Gurion Airport has also been at a premium due to the ongoing presence of dozens of US military jets, which has significantly impacted passenger travel to the only major international hub in the country, potentially threatening the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights.
The Transportation Ministry said last week that it reached an understanding with the US military to accelerate the planes’ departure to Israeli Air Force bases, with 30 jets moving this week and another 20 at a later date.
A fleet of about 75 US refuelers and cargo jets has parked at the Tel Aviv-area airport since the lead-up to the Iran war, leaving very little room for civilian planes.
