Ben Gurion Airport's Terminal 1 to reopen as international airlines resume flights to Israel

Ben Gurion Airport's Terminal 1 is set to reopen in late March as international airlines resume flights to Israel. The terminal was temporarily closed after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, following a sharp decline in international tourism amid the Gaza War.

Terminal 1 is primarily used for domestic and low-cost international flights. The Israeli Airport Authority (IAA) predicts that the terminal will serve more than 1,370 flights in April, constituting around 25% of all flights at Ben Gurion Airport. 

The IAA said the reopening of the terminal will reconnect Israel mainly with European destinations. 

"The return of airlines to Terminal 1 will provide passengers with direct access to popular destinations, including Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest, Berlin, Rome, Athens, Rhodes, Warsaw and Vienna," the airport authority stated. 

"With the reopening and the expected surge in passengers ahead of Passover, we've hired dozens of new security and operations staff and continue our recruitment campaign, offering improved employment conditions."

Israel’s leading airline company, El Al, will initially operate 80 weekly flights from Terminal 1. These flights will be complemented with 110 weekly flights operated by the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air and 86 flights by Irish airline Ryanair. 

In early January, Wizz Air, one of the leading European low-cost airlines, announced it would resume flights between Israel and 10 destinations, including London, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Krakow, Bucharest and Abu Dhabi. The reopening of Terminal 1 means that Wizz Air will expand its Israel operations to 17 destinations. 

In addition, the smaller Israeli airline Arkia will offer 40 weekly flights, while its domestic competitor Israir will operate some 30 weekly flights. 

Israel's Eshet Tours Marketing Vice President Shirley Cohen Orkaby, welcomed the return of international airlines to Israel. 

"This is great news for Israeli aviation and a strong incentive for low-cost airlines to return to Israel and increase flight frequency. Terminal 1’s reopening will also drive down prices to Europe in the medium and long term, expand destination options and ease congestion at Terminal 3," Orkaby predicted. 

Meanwhile, the Lufthansa Group announced it would improve flight connectivity between Israel and the United States via European hubs. 

"Starting this week, our group’s weekly flights – operated by Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings – will increase from 35 to 60," Lufthansa group stated.

"This includes a significant boost in overnight flights, allowing Israeli passengers to travel to North America via Europe with immediate onward connections."

There is cautious optimism that the return of international airlines to Israel will gradually reduce the currently high airfare to and from the state. Over the past year of war, the domestic carrier El Al held a monopoly on many routes from Ben Gurion Airport due to the absence of international competitors.

This led to a sharp increase in ticket prices, particularly on flights between Israel and the United States, where El Al had near-exclusive control.

On Sunday, Israir announced it would become the third Israeli airline to offer flights from Israel to New York, aiming to provide more affordable airfare. The airline plans to offer up to six non-stop flights per week to New York this summer.

Mark Feldman, CEO of Ziontours Jerusalem, welcomed the expansion of flights between Israel and New York. 

 “As long as the situation remains unstable in our part of the world, they [Arkia and Israir] will benefit, and Israelis can fly nonstop to New York knowing that the odds are very good that Israeli airlines won’t cancel any services,” Feldman said. 

“The bottom line is that increased competition will lead to lower ticket prices for the consumer, and that is needed.”