El Al Plans Full Service Return As Israeli Airspace Reopens

El Al Israel Airlines plans to gradually restore full flight operations to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) following the reopening of Israeli airspace, ending a 12-day suspension triggered by regional hostilities between Iran and Israel.

In a statement translated from Hebrew released on June 25, the Israeli flag carrier said, “Starting on June 25, 2025, in accordance with the instructions of security and aviation authorities, the company began to gradually return to flight activity until a return to full routine is expected in the coming days.”

The reopening comes after a sharp escalation in tensions, beginning with a series of military exchanges between Iran and Israel on June 13 that led to airspace closures across multiple countries, including Iran, Iraq, Israel and Syria.

The conflict intensified when the U.S. launched air strikes on Iranian targets, prompting Tehran to retaliate on June 23 with a barrage of missiles aimed at a U.S. military base in Qatar. A fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire has since been agreed and appears to be holding, despite both sides accusing each other of violating the truce in the hours following its announcement.

El Al estimated it lost approximately $4 million per day during the suspension of its regular flight activity, which lasted about 10 days. The airline has operated some restricted repatriation services in recent days. “This estimate depends, among other things, on factors and calculations for which there is no certainty at this time,” the airline added.

Despite the financial hit, El Al expressed optimism that demand would recover quickly. “The company estimates that a recovery process is expected in the coming months, which will result in increased demand for the company’s flights and higher occupancy rates,” El Al said.

El Al is now working to ramp up operations to key destinations in Europe, North America and Asia, including Athens, Bangkok, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Rome. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the airline operated 50 routes from TLV in the week before the June 13 strikes, providing some 68,600 departure seats.

Iraq has also reopened its airspace, following Israel’s move. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows limited activity returning, including a Kuwait Airways service operating from Kuwait City to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen.