El Al Resumes Full-Capacity Flights After Iran Ceasefire​​​​​​​

Israel's national carrier has moved swiftly to restore its international network following a ceasefire agreement, with services reinstated across Europe, the Far East, and North America.

El Al, Israel's flag carrier, has announced the resumption of full-capacity flights across its international network following a ceasefire agreement between the United States, Israel, and Iran. The development brings considerable relief to travellers who have faced weeks of significant disruption, after Israeli airspace was largely closed to commercial traffic from 28 February — the date on which the joint US-Israel military campaign against Iran commenced.

Israel's Transportation Ministry confirmed that Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv has returned to full, round-the-clock operations, with all wartime restrictions on passenger numbers and flight movements now officially lifted. Duty-free shops and all terminal services have also reopened as part of the wider return to normal activity.​​​​​​​

Beginning Sunday, 12 April, El Al is operating full-capacity services to approximately 30 destinations across three continents. European cities on the restored schedule include London Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Milan, Lisbon, Zurich, Athens, Larnaca, Moscow, Batumi, and Tbilisi.

In the Far East, services are resuming to Bangkok, Phuket, and Tokyo, whilst North American routes returning include New York JFK, Newark, Los Angeles, and Miami.

For UK travellers, London Heathrow is amongst the routes to be reinstated at full capacity, making it one of the more straightforward options for those looking to travel to and from Tel Aviv in the coming weeks.

El Al has confirmed it will continue to expand its network of destinations progressively throughout April, until a complete flight schedule across all routes is fully restored.​​​​​​​

Whilst the resumption of flights is broadly welcome news, El Al has been candid that the restoration of its full schedule is being managed carefully in stages. The airline has acknowledged that some flights may remain subject to changes or cancellations during this transitional period, given the operational complexity of reorganising an entire flight network that was severely disrupted over several weeks of conflict.

Ticket sales for outbound flights from Israel remain suspended until 18 April, and seat assignments are currently limited to passengers already holding existing bookings. Once ticketholders have been accommodated, remaining seats will be released for general sale​​​​​​​

Passengers whose El Al flights were cancelled due to the conflict will be automatically rebooked onto reinstated services free of charge. The airline has confirmed there is no need to contact its customer service team, as reassignments are being processed automatically.

Priority is being given to passengers with original bookings, followed by those with exceptional humanitarian or medical needs. Rebooking status and estimated timelines can be tracked through the Manage Your Booking section on the El Al website or app.​​​​​​​

With El Al currently operating as the principal carrier to and from Tel Aviv, demand for seats is expected to be considerable during the early weeks of resumption. Those with travel plans to Israel are strongly advised to book ahead and confirm arrangements as early as possible to avoid missing out.

Before confirming any booking, it is sensible to review travel insurance policies carefully, ensuring adequate cover is in place for any residual disruption risk associated with the region. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel guidance for Israel should also be checked and monitored regularly for the most current advice ahead of any planned trip.​​​​​​​

For expert travel advice and the best available fares to Israel and beyond, the Crystal Travel team is ready to assist you today.​​​​​​​