Air Canada is set to resume service to Israel on Tuesday after canceling flights along with other major foreign airlines in the wake of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
The Montreal-based flag carrier announced the change on March 14. The initial flight schedule will include four nonstop return flights a week from Toronto in April, with three nonstop return flights a week from Toronto in May and one weekly nonstop return flight from Montreal.
“In preparation for the resumption of service, we have undertaken an extensive safety analysis, including consultations with government authorities, unions representing our flight crews and security experts,” Air Canada said in March.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in the region and adjust our schedule accordingly.”
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is set to resume flights to Israel starting on June 2, with flights to Italy, Malta, Hungary, Cyprus and other European destinations popular with Israelis.
Ryanair’s move comes after the decision to reopen Ben-Gurion International Airport’s Terminal 1 at the beginning of June, which charges lower passenger fees than the larger and newer Terminal 3 ($11 vs. $27).
The Israel Airports Authority decided to halt activity at Terminal 1 after the war broke out on Oct. 7. As a result, all flights departing from Ben-Gurion use Terminal 3.
On Feb. 1, Ryanair became the first low-cost carrier to resume direct flights to Israel and had no choice but to start using Terminal 3. After failing to resolve the issue with Israeli authorities, the airline again suspended service and will now be flying again this summer.
Other airlines that have already resumed service to Tel Aviv or will resume service soon include Azerbaijan Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Corendon Europe Airlines, Delta, easyJet, Iberia Express, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Smartwings and TUS Airways.
Turkish Airlines announced last week that it would continue to suspend its Israeli operations until March 2025.
Israel’s national flag carrier El Al, as well as Arkia and Israir, never stopped flying.
