From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 16, 2026
Limit on number of passengers is lifted for Israeli airlines flying to North America
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel
Beginning today, Israeli airlines flying from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to North America will not have to limit the number of passengers per flight.
The Transportation Ministry approves a directive permitting Israeli airlines to operate flights to North America at full seat capacity until further notice, lifting the previous limit of 100 passengers per flight. The directive applies to El Al, Israir, Arkia, and Air Haifa.
The 100-seat limit remains in place for flights from Ben Gurion to other destinations.
The ministry emphasizes that the operation of flights to North America remains subject to the schedule determined by Ben Gurion Airport, and is contingent on the guidelines of the Home Front Command.
Israel is also assessing the possibility of easing passenger limits on flights from the country to destinations in Europe. The Transportation Ministry is considering increasing the capacity on outbound flights using narrow-body aircraft to Europe to about 170 passengers.
The move comes after El Al, Israel’s flagship carrier, launched special flights today to help thousands of US citizens stranded in the country since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28 return home.
As part of an agreement with the US State Department and the US Embassy in Jerusalem, El Al will operate six non-stop flights from Tel Aviv to New York designated exclusively for US citizens. The flights will depart at full capacity.
The Times of Israel Community.