Ben Gurion Airport Sees Summer Peak as International Airlines Resume Flights to Israel

Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) is experiencing its busiest day since the start of the summer season, with the Israel Airports Authority projecting around 101,000 passengers to pass through on Thursday. August is expected to see approximately 2.6 million travelers, marking a significant increase in air traffic. Meanwhile, there is ongoing uncertainty regarding American fuel suppliers, with potential impacts on airport operations still unclear.

July was the busiest month of 2026 so far, with 2.3 million passengers passing through TLV, a 37% rise compared to July 2025. El Al led Israeli carriers with 35% of passenger volume, followed by Israir (12.8%) and Arkia (11.8%). Among foreign airlines, Blue Bird carried the most passengers at 173,000 (7.54%), with Wizz Air also notable at 138,000 (6%). Popular destinations in July included Greece (18.6%), Cyprus (9%), Italy (7.8%), the UAE (6.6%), and the US (6.2%), although US-bound traffic declined from 8.4% the previous year.

This week marks the return of several international airlines to Israel. Swiss International Air Lines resumed daily Zurich-Tel Aviv flights with an Airbus A330 after a hiatus due to Operation Iron Swords. German carrier Condor launched a daily Frankfurt-Tel Aviv route, returning to Israel after 70 years. Brussels Airlines also restarted service with 54 weekly flights to Europe. Conversely, American Airlines postponed its planned January 2027 return to March 2027.

The Tel Aviv-New York route is set to expand next month with Delta and United Airlines resuming flights, alongside Israir, which recently received Israeli aviation authority approval to operate US flights and is awaiting final FAA clearance. These developments indicate a robust recovery and growth in international air travel to and from Israel this summer.