Lufthansa and Wizz Air are some of the first European carriers to resume service to Tel Aviv following the news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Western carriers suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, and Tehran as conflict in the region escalated in recent months. Some carriers have also avoided Iranian and Iraqi airspace due to fears of missile and drone strikes.
Lufthansa Group said its major carriers — which also includes Swiss, Eurowings, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines — would resume flights to Tel Aviv February 1.
The company had previously suspended flights to Tehran until February 14 and will not fly to Beirut until at least February 28.
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air resumed its flights from London to Tel Aviv and Amman, Jordan on Thursday. Ryanair executives have said they expect to fly a full schedule to Tel Aviv by the summer, according to Reuters.
Air France-KLM said its flights to Tel Aviv remain suspended until January 24, according to Reuters. Air France-KLM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Ceasefire Deal Leaves the Industry Cautiously Optimistic
While the ceasefire deal has given the industry some hope that it could start flying to Israel again, it’s unclear if the agreement is on track to pass Israel’s cabinet.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the vote on the agreement, citing last-minute disputes with Hamas, according to The New York Times. Some of the hard-line members of Netanyahu’s cabinet are also opposed to the deal. The Israeli cabinet is set to vote on the deal on Friday.
In the U.S., American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have continued their suspensions. American has said it doesn’t expect to fly to Israel until at least September; Delta had previously halted Tel Aviv flights until March 31; United had suspended their services to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.
“We’re monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports,” Delta said in a statement.
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