Lufthansa and Wizz Air Resume Flights to Tel Aviv Following Ceasefire Agreement

In a positive sign for the region's recovery, Germany's Lufthansa Group and Wizz Air have announced the resumption of flights to Tel Aviv starting February 1. This follows the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which has helped improve the security situation in the Middle East.

Lufthansa Group, which includes carriers such as Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, and Swiss, will reinstate services to Tel Aviv, bringing much-needed connectivity back to Israel. This move comes after many Western carriers halted operations to various parts of the Middle East, including Israel, due to the ongoing conflict and safety concerns regarding drone or missile warfare.

Additionally, Wizz Air has restarted its flights from London to Tel Aviv, marking a positive shift for the airline’s Middle Eastern routes. Wizz Air also resumed flights from London Luton to Amman, Jordan, on Thursday.

Other airlines, like Ryanair, have expressed plans to return to Tel Aviv in the summer, depending on the security situation. Turkish Airlines also announced plans to launch flights to Damascus, Syria, on January 23, further signaling a cautious return of international carriers to the region.

However, many airlines remain cautious in their approach to full resumption of flights in the region. EasyJet welcomed the ceasefire and stated it would reassess its operations soon. Air France-KLM, on the other hand, has extended its suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until January 24, while its Beirut route remains suspended until January 31. The airline emphasized that flight operations would be resumed based on assessments of the security situation on the ground.

Lufthansa has also extended its suspension of flights to Tehran until at least February 14 and will not operate flights to Beirut until February 28, as the region continues to face instability.