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Travelers disembark an Electra plane at Ben Gurion International Airport. September 8, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
Sharon Wrobel
Inside story
Sharon Wrobel
Israeli airlines often lease foreign planes and crew, while leaving extra security behind
Loophole means passengers who think they are flying an Israeli carrier can end up on another company's plane, with no special screenings of pilots or stringent procedures meant to avoid situation like the flydubai attack
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 walk through the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion International Airport, after their original flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a terror attack by the copilot, who attacked the captain and tried to crash the plane, September 30, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 4, 2026, 9:41 pm
Security hurdles slow airlines’ effort to bring stranded Israelis home from Dubai
Air bridge is delayed as heightened security demands following the flydubai terror attack force checked luggage onto separate planes from passenger flights
By Sharon Wrobel
Parked airplanes at Ben Gurion Airport, August 8, 2020 (Olivier Fitoussi/FLASH90/File)
October 1, 2026, 7:36 pm
Israeli carriers to start UAE repatriation flights Friday after flydubai cockpit attack
After flydubai suspends Tel Aviv route, El Al, Arkia and Israir plan special flights to pick up stranded Israelis from Dubai; others seek return via nearby Cyprus and Greece
By Sharon Wrobel
A United Airlines flight lands at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, March 31, 2025 (Yossi Aloni/ FLASH90)
September 2, 2026, 10:10 am
US airlines bring competition back to NYC route, but fares won’t begin descent for months
Delta and United returning after Iran war hiatus, as Israir set to debut New York service, but prices will stay elevated until November, experts say, and may remain turbulent as long as war fears persist
By Sharon Wrobel
Planes from Brussels Airlines on the tarmac at Brussels Airport in Brussels May 12, 2020. (Francisco Seco/AP)
September 1, 2026, 5:22 pm
Brussels Airlines facing strike after workers say they were forced to fly to Israel
Union says airline violated deal specifying that staff, concerned over safety and ‘ethical impact,’ could not be made to fly Tel Aviv route
By ToI Staff
An El Al plane takes off at the Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, August 4, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
August 5, 2026, 9:19 pm
El Al profit doubles as many major foreign airlines steer clear after Iran war
Flagship carrier capitalizes on dominant position and peak demand, fueling ‘outrageous’ prices as international carriers stay away
By Sharon Wrobel
An Arkia plane takes off from Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv, August 14, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
July 8, 2026, 10:15 pm
Arkia employees vow to fight potential Haredi buyout that would halt Shabbat flights
Airline workers, who hold a 22% stake in company, threaten labor action and prepare further steps should talks with US real estate developer Rabbi Ezra Unger advance
By Sharon Wrobel
US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
June 24, 2026, 9:05 pm
Reduced US refuelers at Ben Gurion still put flights of 100,000 summer travelers at risk
Aviation officials demand removal of at least 15 more US tankers crowding out civilian planes at Israel’s main airport, ahead of peak July-August travel season
By Sharon Wrobel
Young Jewish adults participate in the Tel Aviv Urban Experience track of Birthright in an undated photo (Courtesy)
June 17, 2026, 10:38 pm
Canceled flights, high prices: Is the golden age of American Jewish travel to Israel ending?
Trips to Israel were long seen as the best defense against declining rates of Jewish affiliation and support for the Jewish state. But for years, getting here has been an ordeal — and it’s unclear how many people still want to come
By Ben Sales
A US Air Force aircraft takes off at the Ben Gurion International Airport, May 24, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
June 16, 2026, 9:04 pm
US said moving 20% of its refuelers from Ben Gurion Airport, easing travel pressure
Presence of 72 American aircraft in recent months is crowding out civilian planes at Tel Aviv’s international airport, threatening to ground 2.4 million summer travelers
By Sharon Wrobel
US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
June 14, 2026, 5:01 pm
US refuelers at Ben Gurion could ground 2.4 million summer travelers, Regev warns
Transportation minister appeals to Netanyahu to help relocate at least 30 of the 72 American aircraft that are crowding out civilian planes at Tel Aviv’s international airport
By Sharon Wrobel
A traveler walks past covered Spirit Airlines kiosks, May 2, 2026, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
May 3, 2026, 4:41 am
Airlines rush to help stranded Spirit passengers after budget carrier collapses
Competitors stand to gain from carrier’s shutdown even as they continue to feel the sting of rising fuel costs amid US-Israel conflict with Iran
By David Shepardson and Laila Kearney
A Spirit Airlines 319 Airbus approaches Manchester Boston Regional Airport for a landing, June 2, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
May 2, 2026, 3:40 pm
US’s Spirit Airlines declares immediate bankruptcy amid Iran war price fuel surge
Telling passengers not to go to the airport, the major, low-cost US airline cites ‘oil prices and other pressures’ for abruptly shutting down after failing to secure Trump-proposed bailout
By Sabrina Valle, David Shepardson, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Doyinsola Oladipo
Illustrative: Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, April 9, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
April 12, 2026, 3:37 pm
Nine foreign airlines plan to resume Tel Aviv routes this week, amid US-Iran truce
Bluebird, TUS, Etihad, Ethiopian, Smartwings, Hainan, Red Wings, Georgian and FlyOne to restart operations to and from Ben Gurion Airport, airport authority says
By Sharon Wrobel
An Arkia flight at Ben Gurion International Airport, February 25, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
March 27, 2026, 2:46 pm
Mass cancellations as Arkia changes course, says long-haul flights to depart from Israel, not Jordan
After saying flights will take off from Jordan and Egypt, Arkia updates that flights to New York, Bangkok and Hanoi will revert to Israel, where planes are capped at 50 passengers each
By ToI Staff
Illustrative: Israelis stranded in Dubai board a foreign plane chartered by Israir to Aqaba airport in Jordan, March 6, 2026. (Courtesy Israir)
March 9, 2026, 7:20 pm
First flights bringing Israelis back home from Dubai land at Ben Gurion Airport
604 Israelis stuck since start of Iran war arrive on flydubai flights in Tel Aviv; over 50% of Israelis stranded abroad on eve of war return home via air and land border routes
By Sharon Wrobel
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