Summary Major foreign airlines have suspended operations in Tel Aviv due to the increasing conflict in the region. El Al promises to maintain ticket prices until year-end for flights to key destinations at prices between $199-$349. Bluebird Airways, Aegean Airlines, flyDubai, Wizzair, and Lufthansa are the top foreign carriers that continue to fly to Tel Aviv.
The aviation scene in Israel is changing daily, and many foreign airlines have raised concerns about the increasing conflict in the region. Some of the world's biggest carriers have suspended operations in Tel Aviv for safety precautions. Passengers have been left in limbo with their travel plans axed, and many Israeli travelers have been stranded outside their home country.
In the past month alone, several airlines, including Ryanair and Delta Air Lines , have opted to limit operations to the region until tension subsides. On the other hand, Israel's national carrier, El Al, has vowed not to change ticket prices between now and the end of the year to ensure it can provide services between Tel Aviv and Athens , Vienna International Airport , Dubai International Airport , and Cyprus . These tickets are now on sale for between $199 and $349.
Four key destinations With EL AL pledging to add flights to these four destinations, we will allow travelers to arrive and depart from Israel and then project onto other flights from the respective hubs. The Israeli carrier will make 80,000 economy class tickets available. El Al's latest move followed a public backlash that prices continued to increase for air travel to the region, specifically on their national carrier, which had responded to the demand for flight availability.
For now, Ryanair plans to not fly to Israel until September 30. All international flights to Israel are currently served from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) Along with data from Cirium , an aviation analytics company, Simple Flying decided to investigate the biggest foreign carriers by flights served to Israel this September. The airlines serving with international flights may surprise you.
1 Bluebird Airways 525 flights Greek carrier Bluebird Airlines (BZ) operates from its hub at Heraklion International Airport, which serves the island of Crete and is the fourth largest city in Greece. This airline was first established in 2008 and predominantly involves passenger and cargo travel to/from Israel. Charter flights are another part of its key business.
Total flights 525 Total seats 99,225 Available seat miles (ASMs) 87,565,968 This September, Bluebird Airlines will operate 525 flights to or from Israel. This represents almost 100,000 seats, which makes it the largest foreign international carrier. With an established, robust, and growing network from Tel Aviv, the airline already has six year-round services to five countries, complemented by 12 seasonal European destinations, which include: Year-round destinations Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Larnaca, Prague, Rome–Fiumicino Seasonal destinations Berlin, Bucharest–Otopeni, Burgas, Heraklion, Kalamata, Kos, Mykonos, Paphos, Rhodes, Santorini, Thessaloniki, Varna The island's aviation scene is set to undergo changes in the coming years.
2 Aegean Airlines 362 flights The flag carrier of Greece is the second airline in the top five foreign carriers in Israel. A Star Alliance member since 2010, the airline's main hubs are athens international airport , Thessaloniki, and Larnaca. Aegean Airlines had suspended its operations in Israel until August 22; however, in September, the airline is scheduled to operate 362 flights to or from Tel Aviv, Athens, and Larnaca.
Total flights 362 Total seats 66,012 Available seat miles (ASMs) 42,010,260 A snapshot of Aegean's schedule between Athens and Larnaca to Tel Aviv below for a Wednesday in September: Athens to Tel Aviv A3 926 departs Athens at 08:10, arriving in Tel Aviv at 10:10 A3 924 departs Athens at 10:55, arriving in Tel Aviv at 12:55 Flights are operated with a block time of two hours Tel Aviv to Athens A3 925 departs Tel Aviv at 13:55, arriving in Athens at 16:10 AC 927 departs Tel Aviv at 16:30, arriving in Athens at 18:45 Flights are operated with a block time of two hours and 15 minutes. Larnaca to Tel Aviv A3 524 departs Larnaca at 14:20, arriving in Tel Aviv at 15:20 Flights are operated with a block time of one hour. Tel Aviv to Larnaca A3 525 departs Larnaca at 11:00, arriving in Tel Aviv at 12:05 Flights are operated with a block time of one hour and five minutes.
While Aegean will be the second largest foreign carrier in September, for August, the Greek carrier suspended its operations in neighboring Lebanon due to escalating tensions. It joined the list of many foreign carriers, including Condor, Air France , and Lufthansa, while the airlines prioritized passenger and crew safety. A handful of other airlines, including Air France and Lufthansa, have already suspended flights.
Have you heard the Simple Flying podcast recently? 3 flyDubai 355 flights The Emirati government-owned, low-cost carrier is based in Dubai and operates predominantly out of DXB Terminal 2. The airline has grown its network substantially since its inception in 2008 and now serves destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Total flights 355 Total seats 61,118 Available seat miles (ASMs) 81,042,468 With its sole international route to Tel Aviv originating from Dubai International Airport, flydubai operates an average of six daily flights to Israel, likely filling in for the absence of Emirates on the route; its schedule below to Tel Aviv.
Emirates had been connecting Dubai to Tel Aviv until November when the carrier suspended all flights and refused travelers at check-in for travel to Israel. flyDubai's schedule outline below, based on a Wednesday in September: Dubai to Tel Aviv FZ1549 departs Dubai at 07:05, arriving in Tel Aviv at 09:35 FZ1211 departs Dubai at 09:50, arriving in Tel Aviv at 12:20 FZ1081 departs Dubai at 12:20, arriving in Tel Aviv at 14:50 FZ1125 departs Dubai at 16:05, arriving in Tel Aviv at 18:40 FZ1625 departs Dubai at 20:10, arriving in Tel Aviv at 22:35 FZ1807 departs Dubai at 21:00, arriving in Tel Aviv at 23:30 All flights to Tel Aviv have a block time of three hours and 30 minutes and are served by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Return schedule as below, all with a block time of three hours and 20 minutes: Tel Aviv to Dubai FZ1808 departs Tel Aviv at 00:50, arriving in Dubai at 05:10 FZ1550 departs Tel Aviv at 11:00, arriving in Dubai at 15:20 FZ1212 departs Tel Aviv at 13:25, arriving in Dubai at 17:45 FZ1082 departs Tel Aviv at 16:00, arriving in Dubai at 20:15 FZ1126 departs Tel Aviv at 19:50, arriving in Dubai at 00:05 the next day FZ1626 departs Tel Aviv at 23:55, arriving in Dubai at 04:15 the next day So far this year, the airline has already taken delivery of four new aircraft and onboarded over 400 new staff members.
Love learning about points and miles? Read more of our loyalty news and guides here . 4 Wizzair Total: 576 = Wizz Air (W6): 316 / Wizzair Malta (W4): 260 One of Europe's largest ultra-low-cost-carriers is Hungarian Wizz Air , the airline has grown to now host multiple bases across the continent, and it's parent company, Wizz Air Holdings, operates multiple airline subsidaries which include Wizz Air Hungary, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, Wizz Air Malta, and Wizz Air UK. To and from Israel this September, Wizz Air and Wizz Air Malta are the only two represented with enough capacity to be included in this list, which is represented in the below figures: Total flights Total seats Available seat miles (ASMs) Wizz Air (W6) 316 67,048 69,586,956 Wizz Air Malta (W4) 260 60,538 78,842,590 Total 576 127,586 148,429,546 From Tel Aviv Ben Gurion, Wizz Air provides several international destinations to most of its major destinations in the carrier's route map.
Year-round destinations include Abu Dhabi, Athens, Bucharest–Otopeni, Budapest Airport , Cluj-Napoca (resumes October 29, 2024), Debrecen (resumes October 29, 2024), Iași, Katowice, Kraków, Larnaca, London Gatwick Airport (resumes October 29, 2024), London–Luton, Milan–Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino Airport , Sofia, Varna, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw–Chopin. With two-hour-long flights going for as little as $21 each way, how is the airline able to offer fares at such low cost? 5 Lufthansa 238 flights Germany's flag carrier, Lufthansa, has stopped and restarted its services to Israel throughout the increased conflict in and around Israel. This September, it will be the fifth busiest foreign international carrier serving Tel Aviv, and these flights are served from its respective hubs in Munich Airport and Frankfurt Airport .
Due to the distance between Germany and Israel, Lufthansa will provide the most available seat miles to Israel in September, exceeding its closest competitor, Bluebird Airlines, despite operating half the number of flights. LH figures to or from Israel are outlined below: Total flights 238 Total seats 51,170 Available seat miles (ASMs) 89,175,120 Both Lufthansa's services to Tel Aviv are operated by the Airbus A321neo fleet, which has up to two flights daily. Check out the airline's schedule below: Frankfurt to Tel Aviv LH686 departs Frankfurt at 10:15, arriving in Tel Aviv at 15:25 LH690 departs Frankfurt at 18:00, arriving in Tel Aviv at 23:10 Flights are operated with a block time of four hours and ten minutes.
Tel Aviv to Frankfurt LH691 departs Tel Aviv at 04:45, arrives in Frankfurt at 08:20 LH687 departs Tel Aviv at 16:30, arrives in Frankfurt at 20:05 Flights are operated with a block time of four hours and 35 minutes. Munich to Tel Aviv LH680 departs Munich at 11:15, arriving in Tel Aviv at 16:00 LH682 departs Munich at 19:40, arriving in Tel Aviv at 00:25 the next day Flights are operated with a block time of three hours and 45 minutes. Tel Aviv to Munich LH683 departs Tel Aviv at 07:00, arriving in Munich at 10:10 LH681 departs Tel Aviv at 17:05, arriving in Munich at 20:15 Flights are operated with a block time of four hours and ten minutes.
While it will publish its full Q1 2024 results on April 30, the Lufthansa Group has already said that it will incur a massive loss during the quarter. Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here . Notable airlines missing in Tel Aviv In light of increased tension in the region, several of the world's largest carriers have paused operations in Tel Aviv, with these airline's presence missing: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada , Air India, Air Serbia, airBaltic, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines , Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific , Delta Air Lines, easyJet, Eurowings, Iberia Express, ITA Airways, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines , Lufthansa, Ryanair (multiple routes suspended, only Athens, Bari, Bergamo, Berlin currently scheduled), SWISS , United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic , and Vueling.
For now, Ryanair plans to not fly to Israel until September 30..
