Wizz Air today (Wednesday) resumed service to Tel-Aviv from Luton airport, heralding a likely return of more airlines to Israel.
EasyJet flights are expected to restart in March, with British Airways also taking bookings for a likely return in early April, according to the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
Virgin Atlantic is taking bookings via its code-share partnership with El-Al.
The tourist office voiced “cautious optimism” for inbound travel amid a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following 15 months of conflict.
New data reveals that whilst travel from UK to Israel dropped significantly after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Numbers fell last year to 79,000 tourists, 42% of the 2023 figures.
Wizz Air’s resumption follows last month’s decision by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to lift restrictions and bring an end to advice against travel to Israel.
Israel Ministry of Tourism UK director Michael Ben-Baruch said: “We are cautiously optimistic for Israel tourism in 2025.
“Following the important changes to FCDO guidance, Israel expects to be welcoming guests in higher numbers from the UK who can now book with the renewed confidence that the change to government advise brings.
“We’re also looking forward to the near normalisation of air travel to Israel and with Wizz and other airlines returning to a London-Tel Aviv schedule.
“We expect the market to normalise to bring prices back in line to pre-2023 levels and help encourage people to discover or rediscover the incredible travel opportunities and experiences our county has to offer.
“The tourism industry never stopped working in Israel and we thank the 80,000 visitors who came from the UK, now we are ready to welcome many more.”