Airlines ramp up Israel flights ahead of summer travel rush
Foreign carriers and Israeli airlines are adding frequencies and seats as demand rebounds ahead of the Tishrei holidays.
Foreign and Israeli airlines are expanding their operations at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of the peak summer travel season and the Tishrei holidays, adding flights, increasing frequencies, and boosting seat capacity to destinations across Europe, North America, and Asia.
At the same time, Israeli carriers are preparing for strong demand in August and September, while Israir has resumed its subsidized route to Eilat.
The Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings, announced that it will operate approximately 67 weekly flights to and from Israel in September, up from 54 weekly flights in August.
Lufthansa will operate two daily flights on both the Frankfurt-Tel Aviv and Munich-Tel Aviv routes. SWISS will double its operations in Israel, offering two daily flights between Zurich and Tel Aviv, while Austrian Airlines will continue operating two daily flights on the Vienna-Tel Aviv route and add a third daily flight on selected days. Brussels Airlines, which resumed service to Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday with a daily Brussels-Tel Aviv flight, will operate three weekly flights during September. Eurowings will continue operating four weekly flights from Israel, including three to Düsseldorf and one to Hamburg.
Israeli airlines are also ramping up operations for the busy travel season. El Al, which currently operates around 900 weekly flights to more than 50 destinations, has increased its August schedule by adding seven to eight weekly flights on its Tokyo route. The airline is also set to reach a peak of 55 weekly flights to North America, including up to seven daily flights to New York.
Earlier this week, Arkia introduced a Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner, leased from Italian carrier Neos, to strengthen its operations during August and September. The aircraft will primarily serve the airline's routes to New York, Paris, and Amsterdam, increasing seat capacity during the peak travel season.
Meanwhile, Israir has expanded its service to Eilat, now operating five daily flights between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.
The route is subsidized by the Israeli government at NIS 10 million ($3.2 million) per year. Under the agreement, Israir must offer one-way fares of NIS 99 ($32) to Eilat residents and reserve 40 seats on every flight for eligible passengers.
