Skip to main content

Skies to reopen over Israel, but for whom?

International carriers have announced flights will resume to Tel Aviv, though significant obstacles remain to international air travel.
El Al Israel Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC2VGF9EQ1UB

Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air announced on April 25 that it will resume flights from London to Tel Aviv as soon as May 1 after being grounded by the novel coronavirus crisis. Already on April 22, Israeli news outlets reported that the US airline Delta plans to resume flights from New York to Israel in early May. According to these reports, the US Federal Aviation Administration assured Delta that Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport was safe and that its aircraft will be thoroughly disinfected before takeoff. Flights from JFK to Ben Gurion are already available for booking on the company’s website.

British Airways also plans to resume flights to Israel in May. The company was hoping to relaunch flights on May 2, but strict health regulations forced the company to push the resumption of flights back two weeks. Booking is now available on the company’s site for flights beginning May 16.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.