Israel
Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport resumes full operations
Travel backlogs caused by the war with Iran are expected to last for days, with some foreign carriers set to renew service soon
June 25, 2025 09:34
Travel backlogs caused by the war with Iran are expected to last for days, with some foreign carriers set to renew service soon
June 25, 2025 09:34Israel’s main international airport resumed full operations on Wednesday, a day after the ceasefire in the war against Iran, though travel backlogs were expected to persist for several days.
The four Israeli carriers, led by El Al, were still working to bring home tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad during the 12-day war, when the airspace had been closed or severely restricted.
El Al passengers whose flights were canceled due to the Iran conflict and the June 13 closure of Israeli airspace are being rebooked on new flights. They will be able to use their canceled tickets free of charge, as will passengers who had booked flights on the national carrier departing from Israel.
“Assignment of passengers on departing and arriving flights will be done automatically by El Al, based on the registration form filled out by customers whose flights have been canceled,” the airline said in a statement. “Once all of our customers have been assigned, the flights will be opened for booking to the general public.”
Israel’s smaller carrier, Israir, was charging passengers higher fees for their repatriation flights, while Air Haifa, the nation’s newest and smallest airline was offering free changes on flights to its base in the northern Israeli port city.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev said on Tuesday night that several foreign airlines have already applied to immediately resume flight operations to Israel. These include the UAE’s flydubai and Etihad Airways, Blue Bird and TUS Airways, Russia’s Red Wings, and Ethiopian Airlines.
About 150,000 Israelis were stranded abroad during the war against Iran, while tens of thousands of tourists were stuck in Israel. Many opted to connect through Jordan or Egypt, despite Israeli security warnings.
On Wednesday, 12,000 passengers were expected to travel through Ben-Gurion International Airport on 88 international flights, with more than 10,000 arriving in Tel Aviv, according to the Israel Airport Authority. This number is about a fifth of the traffic recorded the day before the war broke out.
Although Israel has been a profitable market for foreign airlines and demand is expected to be high, most foreign carriers have canceled flights to Israel through mid- to late summer, as they have already rerouted planes to other destinations.
United Airlines has canceled flights to Israel until August, while Delta Air Lines has suspended service to Tel Aviv until September.
The Israeli airlines stated that they were working to return to their normal schedules by next week.