Foreign Airlines Return to Israel as Ben Gurion Airport Hits Summer Passenger Records

Last Thursday, Ben Gurion Airport saw about 101,000 passengers pass through, marking its busiest day since the start of summer. August is expected to see around 2.6 million travelers, with potential for new records later in the month. Alongside strong demand, several foreign airlines announced their return to Israel last week, joining others that resumed flights in recent months.

Swiss carrier SWISS resumed daily Zurich-Tel Aviv flights last weekend after suspending service during Operation Guardian of the Walls. German airline Condor launched a new daily Frankfurt-Tel Aviv route, returning to Israel after 70 years. Brussels Airlines also restarted service with 54 weekly flights to Europe, while KLM announced it will resume flights to Amsterdam on August 25. Romanian airline AnimaWings began three weekly flights from Bucharest to Tel Aviv, joining American carriers United and Delta, which plan to return in early September. Ethiopian Airlines and Etihad Airways have also increased operations recently. By next month, over 50 airlines are expected to operate in Israel.

Experts note that while the third quarter is peak season, airlines are preparing for lower demand in the fall by establishing winter presence to maintain brand awareness among Israeli travelers. Despite regional security concerns, most airlines assess the situation as stable with no exceptional travel warnings.

The influx of airlines is expected to ease the current supply bottleneck, which has kept prices high due to limited seats amid strong demand. Travel group Ofakim projects initial price stability or slight decreases, with longer-term price drops as competition grows. For example, round-trip economy tickets to New York with United start at $1,550, while average September round-trip fares to Amsterdam with KLM are about $1,643.

Ben Gurion Airport has been operating near capacity, partly due to the presence of American refueling aircraft, some of which have recently departed, potentially easing congestion. Last week, average flight delays from the airport were about one hour, with Red Wings Airlines experiencing the longest delays. Despite these challenges, travel experts expect passenger numbers to approach pre-pandemic highs if security conditions remain stable.