More delays, few returns: Foreign airlines slowly reschedule flights to Ben Gurion

Several foreign airlines have already set return dates for flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport in the coming weeks, but others are continuing to push back their suspensions amid the security situation and limited parking capacity at the airport.

Among the first expected back are Uzbekistan's Qanot Sharq, which plans to resume direct service to Tashkent and Samarkand on June 24, and Romania's Fly One, which is set to restart regular flights to Bucharest on June 25. Austrian Airlines, which had initially been expected to return in mid-June, has delayed again after a fresh review and now expects to resume only on June 25.

Other carriers are staying away much longer. TAP Air Portugal said it will not restore its direct Israel route before August 18 at the earliest. Georgian Airways has postponed its return until the end of July, Transavia until early September, United Airlines until September 7, Delta until September 5, and American Airlines has extended its blanket cancellation of Ben Gurion flights through January 2027.

The industry expects the schedule to keep changing frequently depending on security developments. Passengers with tickets for summer and the Jewish holidays are being urged to monitor airline announcements closely and adjust travel plans as needed.