Airlines Return to Israel as Tourism Eyes Post‑Conflict Rebound

Israel’s long-fractured international flight network is edging back toward normality as Blue Bird Airways joins Etihad Airways, Wizz Air and Smartwings in restoring services to Tel Aviv, raising hopes that demand from core markets such as the United States, France and the United Kingdom can power a post-conflict tourism rebound toward pre-war levels.

New Carriers Signal Confidence in Israel’s Skies

Recent scheduling moves by a cluster of foreign airlines are reshaping expectations for Israel’s tourism recovery in 2025. According to published coverage, Greek-based Blue Bird Airways is preparing a daily round-trip between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and a European hub, positioning itself as one of the first foreign operators to resume regular commercial service after the latest conflict-driven shutdown of Israeli airspace earlier this year.

Reports from Israeli media indicate that Blue Bird’s move coincides with broader reopening plans at Ben Gurion following Operation Roaring Lion, the February 2025 military campaign that once again dampened demand and briefly curtailed international flights. The airline is pairing its daily service with an expanded winter 2025/26 schedule from Tel Aviv to multiple European cities, highlighting both confidence in long-term demand and a willingness to compete aggressively on price-sensitive leisure routes.

Czech carrier Smartwings is also set to reestablish a regular Tel Aviv program, with reports suggesting up to seven weekly flights restarting from mid-April. Combined with Blue Bird’s daily offering, these additions mark a shift from an environment dominated by Israeli flag carrier El Al and a handful of regional operators to a more diversified marketplace that relies on European low-cost and hybrid airlines.

Etihad Airways and Wizz Air are meanwhile rebuilding their Israel networks after repeated pauses linked to regional tensions and airspace closures. Publicly available schedules and local aviation reporting show Abu Dhabi-based Etihad restoring flights between the United Arab Emirates and Tel Aviv in phases, while Wizz Air is reintroducing capacity on European routes and targeting a higher weekly frequency from its Tel Aviv hub as conditions stabilize.

From Ceasefires to Schedules: A Volatile Aviation Backdrop

The resumption of flights by Blue Bird, Etihad, Wizz Air and Smartwings comes after nearly two years of stop-start connectivity. Since the escalation of conflict in October 2023, airlines serving Israel have repeatedly suspended, rerouted or trimmed operations in response to security incidents and shifting government advisories. Missile and drone attacks affecting Ben Gurion Airport and the broader region further disrupted traffic, led to temporary airspace closures and raised insurance and fuel costs for carriers.

Through 2024 and into early 2025, many airlines adopted a cautious, incremental return strategy. European carriers such as Wizz Air initially restored limited Tel Aviv services after temporary ceasefires, only to halt routes again as fighting flared along Israel’s borders or in neighboring air corridors. Gulf carriers, including Etihad, likewise adjusted frequencies and temporarily removed Tel Aviv from their timetables following spikes in regional risk.

This pattern left Israel’s inbound tourism sector heavily reliant on domestic airlines and a reduced set of foreign partners, constraining capacity from major origin markets. Industry analysts quoted in international coverage have described the period as a stress test for Israel’s connectivity, with travel demand frequently outstripping available seats during brief windows of stability. The current wave of resumptions suggests carriers now see a more durable opening to rebuild schedules, even as they retain the flexibility to scale back if conditions deteriorate.

The volatility has also prompted a rethinking of risk management among airlines serving Israel. Many operators are now layering in dynamic pricing, shorter booking windows and stand-by aircraft arrangements to react quickly to changes in the security outlook. These adjustments could allow Blue Bird, Wizz Air and others to preserve customer confidence while limiting their exposure to sudden disruptions.

Can US, French and UK Travelers Drive a Tourism Rebound?

As capacity flows back into Ben Gurion, attention is turning to whether key Western markets can deliver the passenger volumes needed to restore pre-conflict tourism levels. Before the 2023 escalation, travelers from the United States, France and the United Kingdom ranked among Israel’s largest inbound segments, supported by strong religious tourism, heritage travel, tech-industry links and extensive diaspora ties.

Publicly available data from tourism boards and industry groups show that these three markets historically generated a significant share of hotel nights and high-spend city breaks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. After the outbreak of fighting, however, arrivals from North America and Western Europe fell sharply as governments issued elevated travel advisories and mass-market tour operators removed Israel from their catalogs.

The gradual restoration of flights opens the door for a targeted recovery led by more resilient segments. Industry reporting indicates that religious and pilgrimage groups, business travelers linked to Israel’s technology and defense sectors, and visiting friends-and-relatives traffic often return sooner than mainstream leisure tourists. Airlines such as Blue Bird and Wizz Air, with their focus on competitively priced European connections, may particularly benefit from demand out of France and the United Kingdom, where large Jewish and Israeli communities traditionally underpin year-round travel.

For United States travelers, the trajectory may depend more heavily on the decisions of US carriers and the tone of official advisories. While some US airlines have announced phased resumptions, capacity remains below pre-conflict peaks, and many itineraries currently rely on one-stop connections via Europe or the Gulf. Should security assessments continue to improve and alliances with European and Middle Eastern partners deepen, US-origin volumes could expand in tandem with the returning foreign carriers now rebuilding their schedules to Tel Aviv.

Pre-Conflict Benchmarks Remain a Stretch Target

Even with the latest wave of resumptions, experts caution that a full return to pre-conflict traffic levels will take time. Tourism statistics from the years immediately before 2023 show record or near-record numbers of international arrivals, aided by a strong global economy and an expanding low-cost airline presence at Ben Gurion. The damage to Israel’s image as a carefree city-break destination, combined with lingering geopolitical uncertainty, means that recovering those peaks is a multi-year project.

Airlines themselves appear to be planning for a staggered normalization rather than a sudden surge. Public presentations and schedule filings reviewed by travel analysts point to phased capacity increases, seasonal adjustments and contingency plans that leave room for renewed volatility. Wizz Air, for example, has been reported to be targeting an ambitious level of weekly operations from Tel Aviv in the medium term, but is reintroducing routes step by step as demand solidifies and slot allocations are confirmed.

Blue Bird’s decision to launch daily flights and expand its winter program suggests confidence that at least some pre-conflict travel patterns will return, particularly on short-haul European routes that can be marketed as affordable escapes when security conditions permit. Smartwings’ scheduled seven weekly frequencies into Tel Aviv similarly highlight the expectation of steady, if not yet spectacular, demand from Central Europe.

Yet structural headwinds remain. Higher insurance premiums, increased operational costs and the possibility of renewed disruptions could keep fares elevated relative to the late 2010s, potentially depressing price-sensitive leisure travel. The extent to which travelers from the United States, France and the United Kingdom are willing to absorb higher prices and residual risk will be central to whether Israel can match or surpass its pre-conflict tourism benchmarks in the coming years.

Strategic Positioning in a Changing Regional Landscape

The reopening of routes to Tel Aviv is unfolding against a broader reconfiguration of Middle Eastern and European aviation networks. In recent years, several carriers have shifted capacity among hubs in the Gulf, Eastern Mediterranean and Central Europe in response to changing demand and geopolitical headwinds. The latest conflict cycle has accelerated that process, with airlines reassessing their mix of leisure, business and connecting traffic.

Etihad’s renewed focus on selective, high-demand routes, alongside Wizz Air’s decision to prioritize core European bases, underscores how Tel Aviv now fits into a more strategically curated network map. For both carriers, Israel represents a potentially lucrative but operationally complex market requiring careful coordination with regulators, insurers and airport authorities. Their willingness to return signals that Tel Aviv remains important to their broader regional ambitions.

Blue Bird and Smartwings, though smaller, are also positioning themselves to benefit from shifting travel flows. By emphasizing point-to-point links between Israel and European secondary cities, they aim to capture demand that might otherwise route through larger hubs such as Istanbul, Athens or Dubai. If security conditions stabilize, this strategy could draw more travelers from France and the United Kingdom who are willing to use intermediate European gateways when nonstop options remain limited.

For Israel’s tourism stakeholders, the key question is whether the current roster of returning airlines will be enough to re-anchor the country within global travel patterns. If carriers maintain their renewed commitments, and if travelers from North America and Western Europe respond positively, the country could gradually climb back toward its pre-conflict visitor numbers. The next peak travel seasons will offer the first real test of whether this emerging coalition of Blue Bird, Etihad, Wizz Air and Smartwings can translate restored air links into a sustained tourism revival.