Photo: Lufthansa Next week: If the current security situation does not change, the Lufthansa Group will resume operations in Israel with flights by Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo, marking a gradual return of one of Europe's largest airline groups to the Israeli market.
Austrian Airlines will operate a daily flight from Vienna to Tel Aviv and back.
The move comes after the group's recent announcement of the resumption of its operations in Israel, which was seen in the industry as a positive sign for other airlines: Wizz Air, which already resumed its flights last night (Thursday, May 28), and the Polish LOT, which will also return to operations as early as this coming Monday (June 1).
The wave of European companies returning to Ben Gurion Airport comes in the wake of regulatory easing and an improvement in the assessment of the security situation by European aviation authorities.
According to the Lufthansa Group plan, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo will first return to operations on the Tel Aviv route starting Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Subsequently, starting July 1, 2026, Lufthansa and SWISS are expected to resume their flights to Ben Gurion Airport, and in mid-July 2026, Eurowings is also expected to return to operations on the route.
Brussels Airlines has at this stage suspended its flights to Ben Gurion Airport until October 24, 2026. At the same time, SWISS announced the extension of the suspension of flights to Dubai until September 13, 2026, and to Beirut until October 24, 2026, while noting that it continues to closely monitor developments in the region.
The industry notes that the return of the Lufthansa Group is expected to increase competition on routes to Europe, expand the supply of seats, and contribute to a drop in prices during the summer and holiday seasons.
Recall that last night (Thursday) we reported an increase in passenger numbers at Ben Gurion Airport over the weekend due to the Eid al-Adha holiday and the return of Wizz Air with approximately 62,000 passengers on approximately 400 flights.