Israeli airline Arkia said it is preparing to resume a full flight schedule starting May 3. “Following the ceasefire announcement, and in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority and the Airports Authority, Arkia is preparing to increase outbound passenger volumes, expand its flight schedule and add frequencies, in line with expected easing of restrictions at Ben Gurion Airport through May 2,” the company said.
In April, Arkia plans to operate flights to Athens, Larnaca, Rome, Vienna, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Bangkok, New York and Budapest. Passengers holding tickets will be given priority for rebooking, and flights will open for sale across all company channels in the coming hours.
Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz said the airline is working in full coordination with regulators to gradually increase flight capacity and passenger numbers. However, he stressed that the current framework remains influenced by the security situation and temporary arrangements, and that operations are still limited in the short term. Ben Gurion Airport continues to operate under capacity restrictions due to security activity, and adjustments may be required depending on developments.
Currently, Ben Gurion is operating at a highly limited capacity: outbound flights are capped at 100 passengers, about 30% of whom are humanitarian cases, while inbound flights may operate at full capacity. In addition, only one flight — either takeoff or landing — is permitted per hour.
Even before the ceasefire, Transportation Minister Miri Regev had called for a significant easing of restrictions after the holiday, including increasing flights to three per hour and raising passenger limits to 120 on narrow-body aircraft and 150 on wide-body planes. Industry officials now expect a broader relaxation of those measures.
At present, air travel to and from Israel is being operated solely by Israeli airlines, as foreign carriers have suspended their services, in some cases for extended periods.
