Which Airlines Are Actually Flying to Israel Right Now?
By Beni Levin · July 20, 2026
"Is anyone even flying to Israel right now?" is one of the first questions families ask us before we get anywhere near hotels or itineraries. The honest answer is more specific than a yes or no: some airlines never stopped, some have come back in waves tied to ceasefire windows, and a few aren't returning before 2027. Here's the current, carrier-by-carrier picture, current as of this writing.
Israeli Carriers Are Flying Close to Normal
El Al, Arkia, Israir, and Air Haifa have kept close to full schedules through nearly all of 2026, war included. On the North American side, El Al and Arkia currently serve New York, Newark, Miami, and Los Angeles, with Boston added back in April. If reliability matters more than price, an Israeli carrier is still the safest bet for actually getting on the plane you booked.
The International Airlines That Have Come Back
A real mix of foreign carriers is operating into Ben Gurion right now: Lufthansa, SWISS, ITA Airways, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, Air France, Wizz Air, Aegean Airlines, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and several smaller regional operators including Bluebird Airways, TUS Airways, FlyDubai, and Air Europa. This list has changed by the month all year, expanding during ceasefire windows and occasionally pulling back when tensions spike, so treat it as a snapshot, not a permanent roster.
Who's Still Grounded
The gaps are concentrated among the largest Western carriers. British Airways and Iberia are suspended through at least October 24. Brussels Airlines is out through the same date. United, Delta, and Air Canada have pushed their returns to September 6 or 7. American Airlines isn't planning to resume before January 6, 2027. Ryanair and easyJet haven't given a confirmed return date at all. If your usual airline is on this list, that's not a reason to cancel a trip, it's a reason to route differently.
The Practical Workaround: Fly Through a Connecting Hub
With the big US and UK carriers still absent, the reliable path for a lot of our clients is connecting through Athens, Rome, Zurich, or Paris on one of the airlines that is actually flying the Tel Aviv leg. It adds a layover, but it also adds a second carrier's schedule as a buffer, so a single airline's disruption doesn't strand the whole trip. Booking directly with the operating airline, rather than through a third-party aggregator, also tends to get you faster rebooking if a schedule shifts.
What This Means for Booking Now
Don't lock in a rigid, non-refundable itinerary on a single foreign carrier's current schedule, it's the one thing most likely to change between booking and departure. For the fuller logistics picture beyond just flights, including what's actually open on the ground once you land, see our practical 2026 logistics guide, and for the safety context behind all of this, our direct answer on whether Israel is safe to visit in 2026.
If you want a current read on which airline actually makes sense for your specific route and dates, rather than guessing from a list that could be stale by the time you book, reach out to our team at Let Travel to start planning your family's trip to Israel.