In a blow to travelers ahead of the upcoming Passover holiday, Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia have had to cancel the vast majority of their regular flights planned through at least the end of March, as wartime airspace restrictions continue to limit operations at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Instead, local airlines will operate a restricted wartime flight schedule to a limited number of destinations in the US, Europe and the Far East.
Due to the security situation and current airspace restrictions, El Al and Israir have canceled their original flight schedule through March 27 and March 31, respectively. Arkia has canceled its regular flight schedule through March 28.
“Passover travel will be a last-minute decision-making, which may be impossible for people to understand, but that’s the reality in a war,” Mark Feldman, CEO of Ziontours Jerusalem, told The Times of Israel. “Right now, a minimal amount of flights to a minimal amount of destinations are operated with the minimal amount of people permitted.”
“Israeli airlines have canceled some 80% to 90% of their regular flight network and as of now,” said Feldman,
Sign up for the Tech Israel Daily
and never miss Israel’s top tech stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Israel’s airspace has been shut to most commercial traffic since February 28, when Israel launched joint attacks with the US on the Iranian regime. Earlier this month, Ben Gurion Airport gradually reopened for limited inbound and outbound flights, operated solely by Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, Israir and Air Haifa.
Mark Feldman, CEO of Ziontours. (Courtesy)
After slightly loosening limitations, late on Wednesday, the Transportation Ministry tightened restrictions to 130 passengers for outbound wide-body flights, after three private jets parked at Ben Gurion Airport were damaged by debris following the interception of an Iranian ballistic missile.
For wide-body aircraft used on long-haul flights, mainly to the US, this means that flights depart half-empty. For departing flights on narrow-body aircraft that can accommodate about 180 passengers on short-haul destinations, the previous limit of 120 passengers per flight remains unchanged.
Inbound flights are not subject to passenger restrictions.
On Thursday, El Al announced that between March 21 and 28, the airline will operate a wartime schedule with flights to 12 popular cities in the US, Europe, and Asia, to accommodate customer bookings as far as possible. The destinations include New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Phuket, Tokyo, Paris, London, Milan, Madrid, Munich and Athens.
Meanwhile, flights to Rome, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Geneva, and Warsaw are canceled next week due to the restrictions on flight operations at the airport, El Al said.
El Al emphasized that once Home Front Command restrictions for flight operations at Ben Gurion Airport are eased, allowing for an expansion of the scope of activity, the carrier will add more flights so that more customers can leave Israel ahead of the Passover holiday. Passover begins at sundown on April 1 and ends at nightfall on April 9.
“We are in a day-to-day situation where travelers can’t make plans more than 24 to 72 hours ahead, depending on the security situation and operational changes,” said Feldman. “There are no alternatives to Israeli airlines, and if you have to travel out of the country and don’t want to wait, we tell customers to go South to Taba Crossing and depart via land border crossings with Egypt or Jordan.”
In accordance with the restricted framework approved by the Transportation Ministry for March 22-April 5, Arkia will operate flights to Europe, the US, and the Far East. For Europe, flights will depart to Paris, Rome, and London, alongside Amsterdam and Barcelona, with two weekly flights. Arkia will also operate flights to Athens and Larnaca. To the Far East, flights will leave for Bangkok and Hanoi.
People surround a check-in counter at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, March 9, 2026. (Screen capture: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Arkia will operate nine flights on the Tel Aviv-New York route using a wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft. The Tel Aviv-New York route includes a short stop in Larnaca, Cyprus, for crew replacement only.
“At this stage, priority will be given to Arkia customers whose flights were canceled, and they will be re-accommodated on the airline’s flights,” Arkia said. “Subject to availability, tickets will later be opened for sale to the general public.”
Israir said its new schedule through March 27 includes restricted flight operations to and from Athens, Budapest, Larnaca, Prague, Rome, Sofia, Tbilisi, Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan, and Bucharest in Europe, and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. During the Passover holiday at the beginning of April, destinations will also include Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro in Africa, Israir said.
You appreciate our wartime journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel