El Al Israel Airlines is preparing for one of its most ambitious network expansions in years, unveiling nine new routes that will connect Tel Aviv with key markets across Asia and Europe. With first ever direct flights to the Philippines and new services to Vietnam and South Korea, alongside fresh leisure links to Switzerland, Croatia, Italy and Denmark through subsidiary Sun d’Or, the move positions Israel’s flag carrier at the center of several fast growing tourism and trade corridors.
A Strategic Leap Into Asia’s High Growth Markets
The centerpiece of El Al’s announcement is a trio of new long haul routes from Tel Aviv to Hanoi, Seoul and Manila. The airline will operate three weekly flights to each capital, reflecting both rising leisure demand and deepening business ties between Israel and Asia. The decision marks the carrier’s first major expansion since the conflict that began in October 2023, signaling renewed confidence in regional stability and future demand.
Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, will be the first of the new Asian destinations to launch, with flights scheduled to begin in October 2026. Round trip economy fares are set to start at 899 dollars, according to Israeli media reports, placing the route in competitive territory for travelers who previously relied on indirect connections through hubs such as Bangkok, Istanbul or Dubai. The service will complement existing nonstop flights between Israel and Vietnam already operated by Israeli competitor Arkia, turning Vietnam into a highly accessible market for Israeli tourists and businesses.
Service to Seoul, South Korea’s capital, is slated to begin in March 2027, restoring a direct air bridge that was previously provided by Korean Air before being suspended amid the 2023 conflict. With three flights a week and onward connections across Asia available through partner airlines, the route is expected to appeal to both corporate travelers in technology, defense and manufacturing, and independent tourists drawn to South Korea’s pop culture and culinary scene.
The new flights to Manila will open Israel’s first ever direct air link with the Philippines. While the airline has not yet finalized launch dates and pricing, it has confirmed a three times weekly schedule, using long haul aircraft and timed to support both outbound Israeli tourism and inbound travel from the large Filipino diaspora working in Israel. The route is forecast to cut travel times by several hours compared with existing one stop options and to simplify family visits, religious tourism and labor mobility between the two countries.
Sun d’Or Builds a Wider European Leisure Network
Parallel to the Asian push, El Al’s charter and leisure subsidiary Sun d’Or will add six short haul European destinations to its schedule. New seasonal services are planned to Basel in Switzerland, Zagreb and Dubrovnik in Croatia, Catania and Cagliari in Italy and Copenhagen in Denmark. All are popular city break or coastal gateways that match growing Israeli demand for flexible, competitively priced holidays within a four hour flight radius.
Basel, on the Rhine in northern Switzerland, will give Israeli travelers a fresh entry point into the wider tri border region of Switzerland, France and Germany. For Swiss visitors, the new route is expected to supplement existing Zurich and Geneva services by offering an additional option for city and pilgrimage tourism to Israel, especially during peak religious and school holiday seasons.
Croatia, long viewed as one of the Mediterranean’s rising stars, will be linked through both Zagreb and Dubrovnik. Zagreb appeals as a compact, culture rich capital that connects onwards by road and rail to Central Europe, while Dubrovnik, with its fortified Old Town and Adriatic coastline, is a favored stop for cruising and summer beach holidays. For Israeli travelers who have already exhausted traditional hotspots like Greece and Cyprus, these routes will expand the menu of mid haul seaside escapes.
Additional flights to Catania in Sicily and Cagliari in Sardinia will reinforce Israel’s strong ties with Italy’s southern islands, already popular for food focused trips, self drive itineraries and family beach vacations. Copenhagen, meanwhile, will restore a direct Tel Aviv Denmark link for the first time in about a quarter century, providing new access to Scandinavia’s capital region and opening opportunities for combined trips that hop between Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Switzerland, Croatia and South Korea: Key Links in a Broader Network
While the headline destinations of the expansion are Manila, Hanoi and Seoul, the supporting European routes and the renewed South Korean connection carry strategic significance of their own. Basel deepens El Al’s presence in the German speaking DACH region, where it has already been increasing frequencies to Zurich, Geneva, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Berlin. That concentration of services improves connectivity for both tourists and corporate travelers in banking, pharmaceuticals and technology, sectors where Switzerland and Israel share complementary strengths.
In Croatia, the dual focus on Zagreb and Dubrovnik enshrines the country as a central Mediterranean partner for Israel’s outbound tourism market. Zagreb functions as a regional hub, from which travelers can explore inland national parks, historic towns and neighboring countries. Dubrovnik, already famed in pop culture and cruise itineraries, offers an ideal long weekend or one week holiday for Israeli travelers seeking historic architecture and coastal scenery without the congestion of some western Mediterranean destinations.
South Korea’s reentry to El Al’s network via Seoul is equally significant. Beyond tourism, the route responds to substantial trade flows in electronics, automotive components, defense technologies and start up investment. For South Korean travelers, nonstop flights shorten journeys to Israel’s religious and historical sites and make it easier to connect onward to Europe or North America via Tel Aviv, leveraging El Al’s partnerships with other international carriers.
Taken together, Switzerland, Croatia and South Korea form a triangle of high value markets spanning central Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and northeast Asia. Each destination supports a different mix of corporate, leisure and visiting friends and relatives travel, smoothing seasonal demand and strengthening El Al’s ability to sustain year round schedules on multiple continents.
What the Expansion Means for Travelers
For passengers in Israel and abroad, El Al’s nine route expansion translates into more nonstop choices, shorter total travel times and new multi stop itinerary possibilities. The three Asian routes alone substantially alter the map for anyone traveling between Israel and Southeast or East Asia. Instead of routing through third country hubs, passengers will be able to fly directly to Hanoi for onward travel to Vietnam’s coastal resorts, to Seoul for connections into Japan and the wider Korean peninsula, or to Manila as a gateway to the Philippines’ archipelago.
El Al plans to operate the long haul services with its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, offering economy, premium economy and business class cabins. That configuration is particularly attractive for long overnight sectors such as Tel Aviv to Manila or Tel Aviv to Hanoi, where lie flat business seats and extra legroom premium cabins can make a substantial difference in comfort. For cost conscious travelers, the airline’s introductory fares to Hanoi are likely to set a benchmark that will influence pricing on competing connecting itineraries.
On the European side, Sun d’Or’s seasonal services will mainly target leisure travelers, often packaging flights with hotels, car rentals or cruise connections. The timing of these flights is expected to align with peak holiday periods from late spring through early autumn, giving Israeli families more options during school breaks and enabling European visitors to plan short escapes to Israel’s beaches and historic sites.
The new routes also create fresh opportunities for creative trip planning. Travelers could, for example, combine a pilgrimage or cultural visit to Israel with an onward beach holiday in Sardinia or Dubrovnik, or pair business meetings in Tel Aviv with a few days in Basel or Copenhagen. For Asian travelers, Tel Aviv can serve as a stopover en route to Europe, opening the door to itineraries that link Hanoi or Manila with destinations such as Rome, Paris or London via Israel.
Economic and Tourism Impact on Israel and Partner Countries
From an economic standpoint, El Al’s expansion is designed to do more than simply add destinations. By targeting capitals such as Hanoi, Seoul and Manila, the airline is reinforcing Israel’s broader strategy of deepening partnerships in Asia’s high growth economies. Air connectivity often precedes or accelerates bilateral investment, technology collaboration and cultural exchange, and each new route effectively reduces the psychological and logistical distance between Israel and its new partners.
For Israel’s tourism sector, direct flights from the Philippines, Vietnam and South Korea offer access to large and increasingly affluent populations with a growing appetite for international travel. Tour operators, hotels, religious tourism agencies and educational institutions stand to benefit as awareness of Israel rises in markets where it has historically been less visible. Conversely, Israelis will gain easier entry into some of Asia’s most dynamic tourism destinations, from Vietnam’s UNESCO listed towns to South Korea’s ski resorts and the Philippines’ island beaches.
European destinations such as Switzerland and Croatia can also expect tangible gains. More direct flights generally correlate with higher visitor numbers, particularly when operated by the home carrier of a country with strong outbound travel habits. Israelis are known for relatively high per trip spending on food, culture and experiences, making them attractive guests for local economies in Basel, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Catania, Cagliari and Copenhagen.
In the medium term, the added connectivity may also influence air cargo flows, especially on the Asian routes. Electronics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, agricultural technologies and high value manufactured components are all sectors in which faster, more reliable air links can support trade. While passenger demand is the primary driver of these new flights, belly cargo capacity in the Dreamliner fleet offers additional upside for exporters and importers on both sides.
Capacity, Fleet and the Roadmap to 60 Destinations
El Al’s nine new routes will lift its network to a record 60 destinations worldwide, a milestone made possible by gradual fleet growth and the return of aircraft that were grounded or under refurbishment. Industry reports indicate that the airline expects additional Boeing 787 deliveries and further refurbishment of its Boeing 777 jets, giving it the flexibility to add long haul services without sharply cutting existing frequencies.
In Europe, the use of Sun d’Or as a dedicated leisure operator enables El Al to pursue seasonal and secondary city routes that might not be viable year round under the mainline brand. Sun d’Or’s model allows for more experimental deployment of capacity to destinations like Catania, Dubrovnik or Basel, adjusting schedules and frequencies as demand patterns evolve. That flexibility is especially valuable in a post conflict context where demand can shift rapidly in response to headlines and traveler sentiment.
The expansion also underscores El Al’s intention to compete vigorously with both regional and global rivals that have grown their presence in Israel over the past decade. Gulf carriers, Turkish Airlines and various European low cost operators have all used their hub models to attract Israel bound traffic. By adding its own nonstop options to more destinations, El Al can capture a larger share of point to point demand and strengthen its position as the primary air bridge between Israel and the world.
Looking ahead, the airline’s strategy suggests that further growth could focus on tightening coverage within Asia and reinforcing high yielding transatlantic routes. For now, however, the launch of service to Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy and Denmark marks a decisive step in reshaping Israel’s global connectivity, with direct benefits for travelers, tourism providers and businesses on at least three continents.
Practical Considerations for Future Passengers
While ticket sales for Hanoi have already begun, and the Seoul schedule is framed for March 2027, travelers should be aware that exact timings and frequencies may evolve as launch dates approach. Advanced bookings will be possible through El Al’s own channels and traditional travel agencies, where package deals bundling hotels and local tours are likely to emerge once tour operators lock in seat allocations.
Passengers planning to use the new routes would be wise to monitor entry requirements and visa policies for each destination, as regulations in countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines can change with limited notice. Travelers from Asia and Europe heading to Israel should similarly check visa rules, security procedures and any travel advisories issued by their respective governments. Given recent history, flexibility in travel dates and the purchase of comprehensive travel insurance remain prudent measures.
For those connecting beyond the new gateway cities, the success of El Al’s partnerships with other carriers will be a key factor. Codeshare and interline agreements can enable through checked baggage, coordinated schedules and single ticket itineraries to secondary destinations across Asia and Europe. As details of these collaborations become clearer, travelers can expect a broader range of options for multi city journeys that begin or end in Tel Aviv.
Ultimately, El Al’s decision to link Israel more tightly with the Philippines, Vietnam, Croatia, South Korea, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark reflects shifting patterns in global tourism and trade. For readers of TheTraveler.org, it means that over the next one to two years, entirely new trip ideas will move from the wish list to the booking page. Whether it is a direct pilgrimage from Manila to Jerusalem, a foodie weekend from Tel Aviv to Catania, or a tech focused business swing between Seoul and Israel’s start up hubs, the stage is now set for a new era of travel connecting Israel to some of the world’s most compelling destinations.