The wave of cancellations on Israeli flights by foreign airlines following the direct hit on Ben Gurion airport last Sunday by the Houthi rebels continues to grow. Over the weekend several major airlines have announced the extension of flight suspensions. Initially, the foreign carriers suspended flights to Israel for short periods of a day or two, while reviewing the situation daily, but now the list of airlines opting for longer-term suspensions is lengthening.
Some 600-700 flights have been canceled since last Sunday, representing about 24% of the international flights at the airport. A total of 25 airlines remain active – of which three are Israeli (El Al, Israir and Arkia), which operate almost 70% of the daily flights from Ben Gurion Airport, alongside Air Haifa, which flied overseas from Haifa Airport.
El Al, Israir and Arkia are operating combined 218 of the 314 flights scheduled for today at Ben Gurion Airport – a 69% share of daily activity. El Al leads with 132 flights, followed by Israir with 51 flights, and Arkia with 35.
Foreign airlines that are demonstrating relative stability in the current crisis also display significant volumes of activity, but they are still far from being a competition capable of balancing the absence of the large companies. For example, flyDubai will operate 17 flights today, Blue Bird Airways will operate 16, and Tus Airways, along with Etihad, are expected to operate seven flights each. So, now the foreign country operating most flights is the UAE, with flyDubai and Etihad.
The decrease in the number of flights is also reflected in passenger traffic. Israel Airports Authority data shows that over the past week, there has been a dramatic decline: an average of about 60,000 passengers per day, which was recorded before the missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport, has fallen to only 50,000.
In total, 19 foreign airlines have announced flight cancellations to Israel. Among those that have announced a significant extension are the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and EuroWings) – the largest and most influential airline group in the world, which will not resume flights until May 19. Air India, the only airline operating a direct route between Israel and India, has suspended flights until May 25, and US carriers Delta and United have suspended flights until May 20 – which leaves El Al and Arkia alone on the routes between Israel and the US. Iberia will not resume flights until June 1 and British Airways will not resume flights until June 15.
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Other carriers that have suspended flights include: Air France and Transavia due to resume flights on May 14, Wizz Air, due to resume flights on May 15, Aegean due to resume flights on May 17, Lot due to resume flights on May 19, ITA due to resume flights on May 20, and Ryanair due to resume flights on May 22.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on May 11, 2025.
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