Airlines signal readiness to resume flying to Israel following ceasefire
Airlines are weighing up their return to Israel this summer after a ceasefire was agreed with Hamas following 15 months of conflict.
The ceasefire took effect at around 11.15am local time (9.15am GMT) on Sunday (19 January) following approval by the Israeli government.
According to reports in the Israeli and aviation press, UK-headquartered easyJet will operate a four-times-weekly Luton-Tel Aviv service from 1 June. It originally suspended flights to Israel last April.
The schedule is live on the easyJet website, showing flights departing the UK on Mondays (12.30pm), Wednesdays and Thursdays (7.15am), and Sundays (12.30pm).
Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK country manager, said: "We are really pleased that as of the beginning of June, we plan to resume flights between Tel Aviv and seven destinations across our network."
EasyJet is restarting flights to Israel from several other European bases, including Amsterdam, Basel, Berlin, Geneva, Milan and Paris.
Other carriers have either restarted services to Israel, or signalled their intention to. Wizz Air has already restarted a four-times-weekly Luton-Tel Aviv, flying on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Last week, chief executive of Ryanair DAC, Eddie Wilson, said the Irish budget carrier would operate a full Tel Aviv schedule this summer, pending Terminal 1 at the city’s Ben Gurion airport reopening.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told TTG its Tel Aviv service was slated to resume in October. It also had a codeshare agreement with Israeli carrier El Al. TTG has also approached British Airways for an update on its plans.
The UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Israel on 13 December, lifting its advisory against all but essential travel to some areas of the country and the West Bank. It continues to advise against all travel to Gaza.
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