Two more European airlines are returning to Israel. British Airways and ITA Airways have updated their schedules to include services to and from Tel Aviv.
The developments are the latest in a series of route announcements after Israel and Hamas reached a delicate Gaza ceasefire deal.
ITA – formerly known as Alitalia – will restart flights between its Rome Fiumicino hub and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on February 1. The Italian flag carrier will initially operate one daily frequency. From February 16, this is due to rise to twice daily, subject to what ITA describes as “the evolution of the geopolitical scenario.”
From February 1, Flight AZ806 departs Rome at 9:10 a.m., landing in Tel Aviv at 1:30 p.m. local time. The return leaves the Israeli city at 2:30 p.m. and arrives back in Rome at 5:15 p.m.
The second frequency is due to operate overnight, leaving the Italian capital just before 11 p.m. and arriving in Tel Aviv shortly after 3 a.m. the following day. The return departs Israel at 5:15 a.m. and lands in the Italian capital at 8:05 a.m.
Both services will be operated by the Airbus A321neo, the largest narrowbody plane in ITA’s fleet.
In a statement, the Italian carrier described the resumption of flights to and from Tel Aviv as “strategically important for ITA Airways as it strengthens the commercial, social and cultural relations between the two markets.”
BA to Resume Tel Aviv in April
British Airways is also due to return to Israel, however not quite as quickly as its Italian counterpart.
BA has scheduled a daily flight from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv beginning on April 5. Like ITA, it will also use A321neo planes that can carry up to 220 passengers.
Skift analysis of Cirium Diio schedule data suggests that BA will add a second daily frequency from April 20. This will also be operated by the A321neo.
Most international carriers halted all flights to Tel Aviv after the start of the Israel-Gaza war in early October 2023. Among those that have returned, short-notice cancellations and temporary route suspensions have been frequent. Some have also avoided Iranian and Iraqi airspace in recent months due to fears of missile and drone strikes.
This has resulted in EL AL being the sole – if not the more reliable – option for many nonstop routes. As a result, Israel’s national airline is earning some of its highest profits ever with recent operating margins reaching 16%.
A Busy Week of Route Resumptions
However, the recent de-escalation has led airlines to review route suspensions, with major announcements last week.
Lufthansa Group said its major carriers — which include Swiss, Eurowings, Brussels Airlines, and Austrian Airlines — would resume flights to Tel Aviv on February 1. The company previously suspended flights to Tehran, Iran, until February 14 and will not fly to Beirut, Lebabon, until at least February 28.
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air resumed flights from London to Tel Aviv and Amman, Jordan on January 16. Ryanair executives have said they expect to fly a full schedule to Tel Aviv by the summer, according to Reuters.
The steady return of European airlines to Israel has not yet been matched by U.S. operators. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have continued their suspensions.
American said it doesn’t expect to fly to Israel until at least September; Delta had previously halted Tel Aviv flights until March 31; United had suspended their services to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.
“We’re monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports,” Delta said in a statement on January 16.
American said it had “nothing new to share at this time regarding Tel Aviv service.” United also said it had no new updates.
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