After 18 months in which one crisis has followed another, Israel's aviation map has been redrawn accordingly. Some destinations have disappeared from the departures and arrivals board at Ben Gurion airport, while some have been added, but above all, uncertainty reigns supreme. Turkey, which has been closed to Israeli flights for almost two years, is the most prominent example, but not the only one: Cape Town and Dublin have also fallen off the map following diplomatic crises with Israel.
Carriers like Turkish Airlines and Pegasus, which previously operated about 20 daily flights together to Israel, are not expected to return in the foreseeable future. Both have given up their slots in Israel, an asset of great financial value, as it allows flights to operate at convenient and in-demand times.
Flights to Marrakesh and Casablanca, which were previously operated by Israeli and Moroccan airlines, have been halted, as are flights to Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh and Amman. Hong Kong, which was an important destination for business flights, also disappeared from the map following the absence of Cathay Pacific, which did not return to Israel throughout the war and has announced that it will not return until further notice. Toronto and Delhi will have no direct flights in the foreseeable future. Air Canada, if it returns, is expected to do so only in early September, and Air India at the end of August.
Terminal 1 remains closed
The destinations to which low-cost airlines used to operate flights have lost popularity for Israelis. Terminal 1 remains closed due to the low amount of air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport, which does not justify operating two terminals. The return of low cost carriers is not in sight. Even Wizz Air, which used to resume its flights to Israel relatively quickly compared with rivals Ryanair and EasyJet, is not expected to return to Israel until September.
Other destinations have not completely disappeared from the map, but they have become much less accessible, and can now only be reached via Israeli airlines. London, for example, is less accessible due to the absence of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and Wizz Air. British Airways and easyJet have announced that it will not return before the end of October - effectively giving up on the summer and holidays. Virgin Atlantic has gone so far as to announce completely halting flights to Tel Aviv with no expectation of renewal.
Amsterdam is in a similar situation. Dutch carrier KLM announced that it would not resume flights until further notice, and easyJet has canceled its flights to Israel to October 25. easyJet's absence also affects other destinations such as Milan, Basel, Geneva and Berlin. In Germany, the situation is similar. The Lufthansa Group, which normally operates flights to Munich and Frankfurt, won't return before the end of July, which leaves routes to Germany in the hands of Israeli companies alone.
The worst distress is on routes to the US, which are currently only available through El Al and Arkia. El Al is the only airline that operates flights to US destinations other than New York.
Destinations that have strengthened
Amidst all this uncertainty, several new destinations have also been added to the map. El Al has started operating flights to Kefalonia in Western Greece, a destination that is slowly gaining popularity. Israir has been operating flights to the Peloponnese in Greece, while Arkia was operating charter flights to Madagascar as well as Zadar in Croatia, and Kalamata in Greece. According to reports, SAS is expected to return to Israel this October and operate direct flights to Copenhagen, for the first time in years, but it may change its mind before October.
Eshet Tours VP Shirley Cohen Orkaby says, "The destinations that have strengthened in the past year and a half are close, cheap, and with high personal security, such as Prague, Burgas, the Balkan countries, Montenegro and Croatia. Malta, for example, is a destination that has not been active since the Covid pandemic. Greece has always been an attractive destination, but it is a little more expensive, so people are also looking for new destinations. Batumi is also a very strong destination, especially for this coming summer. Cyprus's reputation rose mainly because it was a major hub during the closure period, and this only reinforced the fact that Israelis were very attached to it."
Ophir Tours vice chairman Yoni Waksman says, "There are destinations that were temporarily affected mainly due to aviation restrictions, such as the US, which for a period could only be flown to with El Al. Arkia only recently added this route. On the other hand, there has been a strengthening in destinations such as the UAE and the Middle East, due to the increase in flights by Emirati airlines. Nearby destinations Cyprus and Greece have also maintained high popularity due to the accessibility of flights by all Israeli airlines, alongside two Israeli-owned Cypriot airlines."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 3, 2025.
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