Israeli flights become increasingly expensive and rare amid Iran threats

Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport outside of Tel Aviv is usually busy handling millions of inbound and outbound passengers every year. However, flights to and from Israel are becoming increasingly expensive and rare after many international airline companies have canceled their flights to and from Israel due to security concerns amid tensions between Israel and Iran.

The Iranian regime and its terror proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, have vowed a “revenge” attack on Israel after the recent eliminations of the top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel confirmed the Shukr strike but has neither confirmed nor denied the assassination of Haniyeh.

Despite international airlines canceling flights, the Israeli airline company El Al is filling the vacuum by providing aircraft and increasing the prices for airline tickets.

Israeli traveler Adi Livne was on vacation in Spain at the time of the assassination of the top Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists. Her return flight to Israel with a European budget airline company was subsequently canceled amid fears of an imminent Iranian strike on the Jewish state.

While searching for alternative transportation home to Israel, she realized her only options were with an Israeli airline company. However, she was outraged to discover that El Al charged $1,000 for a one-way ticket from the Spanish capital Madrid to Israel.

“El Al is really price-gouging and taking advantage of the lack of competition,” Livne complained. “It’s pretty ugly to exploit a crisis like that. It’s not something I would have expected, given the Israeli sense of solidarity,” she added.

Livne refused to book her flight with El Al but eventually was forced to pay a similar price for a ticket with the Israeli airline company Israir.

Some international airline companies have signaled that they intend to resume their Israel flights when Middle East tensions ease. However, some airline carriers, such as American Airlines, announced it would be canceling all flights to and from Israel until spring 2025.

Before the Iran threat, United Airlines dominated the airline route between Israel and Silicon Valley in California. Sharon Vanek, the executive director of the California Israel Chamber of Commerce, argued that the disruptions of flights due to Middle East tensions could impact American and Israeli tech companies.

“The lack of direct flights, together with the unstable situation in the Middle East, may lead to fewer face-to-face meetings, which are often crucial for building trust and closing deals, potentially weakening these international business ties,” Vanek stated in an email to JTA.

Some Jewish Americans are still struggling to find affordable flights to Israel.

On Thursday, Emily Pagano arrived in Israel after a marathon flight from Arizona via Greece to Tel Aviv. However, she was determined to visit her 22-year-old daughter who joined a volunteer program in Israel.

“It was very scary as a mother, sending my daughter into potential danger, but that’s nothing compared to what’s being faced by the parents whose children are being held hostage in Gaza,” Pagano said.

In June, El Al noted record-high profits due to the lack of international competition on Israeli flights.

"The company is experiencing increased demand for its flights in relation to the seat-capacity it can offer, and is continuing its operational efforts to increase the supply of flights as much as possible, within the limits of its capacity, and is making commercial and operational adjustments. Because of this, the traditional seasonal trend, in which the winter months see low passenger traffic, was not reflected in the current quarter and, therefore, this period was characterized by demand levels that the company experiences in peak seasons in normal times," El Al said in an official statement.