Back In the Sky: Major Airlines Resume & Expand Flights Into Israel

Air travel connectivity at Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) in Tel Aviv is ramping up sharply as major global airlines announce return dates and Israeli carriers expand their routes.

Key Takeaway:

Major international carriers including United, Delta, and KLM have locked in explicit resumption schedules, while local airlines like El Al, Israir, and Arkia continue expanding.

1. U.S. Transatlantic Resumptions

After periods of operational pause, major U.S. carriers are restoring non-stop connections between North America and Tel Aviv:

• United Airlines: Resuming service on September 8 with two daily non-stop flights out of Newark Liberty (EWR) using Boeing 787 aircraft.
• Delta Air Lines: Scheduled to resume its daily service from New York (JFK) starting September 5.

2. European Hub Connections

European airlines are reopening core hubs to offer seamless flight options across Europe and transatlantic connections:

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Restarting flights from Amsterdam (AMS) on August 25, including an operational crew stopover in Larnaca, Cyprus.
• Lufthansa Group: SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Eurowings are actively running scheduled daily routes out of Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, and Düsseldorf.

3. Israeli Flag Carriers

Domestic airlines are expanding rapidly to maintain high capacity and serve regional holiday demand:

• El Al Israel Airlines: Running active non-stop schedules connecting Tel Aviv with New York (JFK/EWR), Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, and major European gateways.
• Israir & Arkia: Expanding direct routes to Mediterranean spots (Athens, Rome, Larnaca, Budapest) and introducing wide-body aircraft to increase seat capacity.

Flight Schedule Overview

Airline	Key Route	Resumption Date / Status
United Airlines	Newark (EWR) to Tel Aviv	Resuming Sept 8
Delta Air Lines	New York (JFK) to Tel Aviv	Resuming Sept 5
KLM	Amsterdam (AMS) to Tel Aviv	Resuming Aug 25
Lufthansa Group	Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna	Currently Operating
El Al	U.S., European & Asian Gateways	Fully Operational
Israir & Arkia	Athens, Rome, Budapest, Regional EU	Expanding Routes

Travelore News: El Al To Add Nine Additional Destinations, Several Int'l Airlines To Resume Ben-Gurion Flights

El Al will resume flights to Boston, London Luton, Tivat (Montenegro), Krakow (Poland), Marseille (France), Sofia (Bulgaria), Paphos (Cyprus), Rhodes, and Thessaloniki (both in Greece).

El Al will resume flights to nine additional destinations, the airline announced on its official social media.

The new destinations are Boston, London Luton, Tivat (Montenegro), Krakow (Poland), Marseille (France), Sofia (Bulgaria), Paphos (Cyprus), Rhodes, and Thessaloniki (both in Greece).

This will bring the total number of destinations El Al flies to approximately 40, the airline stated.

For other destinations, where flight operations have not yet been resumed, customers will be proactively contacted in order to check whether they still intend to fly, the airline stated.

Foreign airlines, including TUS, Etihad, to resume flights this week, IAI announces

Meanwhile, several foreign airlines will resume flight operations to and from Ben-Gurion Airport this week, the Israel Airports Authority announced/

Bulgarian charter airline ALK Airlines, also known by the flight code VBB, resumed flight operations on Sunday with a daily flight on behalf of Greek-registered, Israeli-owned airline Bluebird Airways.

TUS Airways, headquartered in Larnaca, Cyprus, will resume flights on Tuesday, IAI said.

Abu Dhabi's national flag carrier Etihad Airways and Ethiopian Airlines will resume operations on Wednesday.

China's Hainan Airlines will resume flights on Thursday, while Moscow-based Red Wings Airlines, Georgian Airways, and Moldova's FlyOne will resume flights on Friday.

Arrangements are taking place for additional airlines, including the low-cost FlyDubai, to resume flights this week.

"We are working very hard to expand air activity and return the aviation industry to full operations," Transportation Minister Miri Regev said.

"The return of foreign airlines will allow the Israeli public to fly to a wider variety of destinations, and we will continue to work to increase the supply of flights and the variety of destinations," she added.

"The return of foreign airlines reflects confidence in the Israeli aviation system and its ability to cope even in complex times," IAI Chairman Yiftach Ron Tal said.

https://www.jpost.com/author/james-genn

Travelore News: Israel Set To Approve New International Airport In The Negev

As of February 5, 2026, Israel has reached a major milestone in its aviation history. The government has just announced that a formal resolution to establish a new international airport in the Negev will be brought to the Cabinet for final approval this coming Sunday.

For years, the debate over where to build Israel’s second major international gateway has been a tug-of-war between the North and the South. Today, the desert has won. The Prime Minister’s Office, alongside the Ministries of Transport and Finance, has announced that the new supplementary airport will be built at Ziklag in the northern Negev. Why the Negev? Why Now? The decision to move forward with the Ziklag site (located near the Ziklag archaeological site between Rahat and Netivot) is more than just a logistical fix for a crowded sky. It is a strategic pivot for the entire nation. Alleviating Ben-Gurion: Israel’s main gateway, Ben-Gurion International Airport, is rapidly approaching its capacity of 40 million passengers per year. With projections suggesting up to 80 million travelers by 2050, the need for a secondary hub has become a "national necessity."

Ending the "Periphery": Transport Minister Miri Regev has hailed this as a "historic decision" that will transform the south from a "periphery" into a central growth hub. The project is expected to create thousands of new jobs and attract massive investment to the region.
Security & Resilience: In the wake of recent conflicts, diversifying Israel's aviation entries is seen as vital for national security. The site is symbolically located just miles from the areas affected by the October 7th attacks, signaling a commitment to long-term prosperity and recovery for southern communities.

The Ziklag Project: By the Numbers

The new airport is designed to be a modern, high-tech facility that complements rather than replaces the central hub.
Feature-Estimated Impact
Annual Capacity: Up to 10 million passengers
Estimated Cost: 7 billion shekels
Projected Timeline: Approximately 10 years for completion

Job Creation: Thousands of direct and indirect roles

A Hard-Fought Decision

The road to Ziklag wasn’t easy. For a long time, the Nevatim airbase was the frontrunner for a southern airport, but it faced significant pushback from the Defense Ministry due to its proximity to sensitive F-35 fighter jet operations. Simultaneously, residents in the Jezreel Valley campaigned heavily against a northern alternative at Ramat David to protect the region’s agricultural landscape.

By choosing Ziklag, the government has found a middle ground that balances military needs with the urgent demand for civilian aviation growth.

What’s Next?

The formal vote by the Cabinet on Sunday, February 8, 2026, is expected to be a "green light" for the planning phases to begin in earnest. While experts suggest it will be a decade before the first flight departs from Ziklag, the message is clear: the Negev is no longer just a desert—it is the future of Israel’s connection to the world.

Travelore News: Israel And Morocco Set To Resume Direct Flights

Some 200,000 Israelis flocked to the North African country in 2022, many on “roots trips.”

The Jemaa el-Fnaa square and market place in the Medina quarter (Old City) of Marrakech, Morocco, Oct. 19, 2013. Photo by Boris Macek via Wikimedia Commons.

Jerusalem and Rabat are working to renew direct flights between their respective countries in the wake of last month’s ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli Transport Ministry said on Sunday.

The move highlights the resurgence of the Israeli aviation sector and the re-emergence of Tel Aviv as an international travel hub.

Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev has spoken with her Moroccan counterpart, Minister of Transport and Logistics Abdessamad Kayouh, and the two agreed to work toward the resumption of the flights, an Israeli Transport Ministry spokeswoman told JNS.

The flights on Israel’s national carrier El Al are expected to be restarted in the coming months.

Israel and Morocco, which for decades had maintained covert cooperation in the defense and intelligence sphere, formalized relations as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords that saw four Arab countries make peace with Israel under the first Trump administration.

Flights between the two countries were suspended two years ago after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

After Oct. 7, the Israeli National Security Council advised against nonessential travel to Morocco, a travel warning that is now expected to be lowered, enabling the resumption of flights.

“Before the outbreak of the war, Morocco was a very popular destination for Israelis, and the flights were full,” Yoni Waxman, deputy chairman of Israel’s Ophir Tours, told JNS on Sunday. “Israeli passengers are thirsty to return and explore Morocco, and it is just a question of time until it happens.”

An estimated million Jews of Moroccan descent live in Israel (including Israel’s transport minister); 200,000 Israelis flocked to Morocco in 2022, many on “roots trips.”

“Israelis really love Morocco,” said Shirley Cohen Orkaby, vice president for marketing at Israel’s Eshet Tours, who recently visited the North African country and was warmly received. “I expect very high demand the moment flights open up.”

https://www.jns.org/

Travelore News: KLM To Resume Israel Flights

The Dutch airline will operate seven weekly flights on a Boeing 737-900 between Tel Aviv and Amsterdam starting September 28.

KLM credit: Shutterstock

Dutch carrier KLM has announced that it will resume flights to Israel at the end of next month. The airline will operate seven weekly flights on a Boeing 737-900 between Tel Aviv and Amsterdam starting September 28. KLM had renewed flights to Israel at the start of last June but halted them two weeks later following the start of Israel's operation against Iran and the closure of the country's airspace, after which KLM had said it would not resume flights until further notice. The resumption of flights will increase the supply of ticket to one of the highest-demand destinations in Europe.

KLM says flights departing from Amsterdam to Ben Gurion Airport will make a short operational stop in Larnaca, Cyprus. Such a stop has become a practice among foreign airlines returning to Israel and appeasing flight crews who won't stay overnight in Israel. British Airways has adopted the same practice in the past. This solution allows companies to operate routes to Israel without the incoming crews being forced to spend the night in Israel, a sensitive issue both from a security perspective and with insurance companies, some of which refuse to insure accommodation in Israel.

Although this move that extends travel time by an hour (due to the time the plane is on the ground and the extension of the flight route) and is burdensome for passengers, it allows companies to maintain continuity of activity and prevent the loss of valuable slots at Ben Gurion airport. However, this is a complex and expensive operation with potential delays in a small airport like Larnaca and additional costs.

Demand to fly between Tel Aviv and Amsterdam remains high in relation to the supply of flights, despite violent attacks on Israelis last year. This is one of the favorite destinations of the Israeli public, both for a short vacation and as a stopover for connection flights in Europe and the world. Currently only Israeli airlines operate direct flights to the city, due to the absence of KLM and easyJet, and the result is high fares and almost full occupancy of flights.

The return of KLM to Israel will also allow connectivity to additional destinations in Europe and the US, because Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is one of the 5 main hubs in Europe alongside London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Zurich.

KLM flights when they resume will take off from Schiphol Airport at 20.45 each day and land in Israel at 3.30 after stopping in Larnaca. In the other direction planes will leave Israel at 4.45 and land in Amsterdam at 8.40 in the morning.

en.globes.co.il