The flight board at Ben Gurion Airport is filling up again as numerous international carriers announce their return to Israeli skies after months of disruption. Currently, dozens of foreign airlines are already operating in the country, including the entire Lufthansa Group, Air France, Air Europa, Flydubai, Etihad, Hainan, and many other carriers.

On Sunday, a major airline is resuming operations in Israel – Air India. The Indian carrier will reopen direct flights to India while simultaneously expanding competition on routes to the East, with Bangkok expected to be particularly popular through connections in Delhi.

Concurrent with Air India's return, the coming month brings several significant developments for Israeli travelers. In less than two weeks, on March 15, United Airlines is set to become the first American carrier to return with a daily flight to New York. The airline will subsequently double its frequency to two daily flights beginning March 29.

Following closely behind, American carrier Delta will rejoin the market on April 1, bringing the total to four different airlines operating direct flights between Israel and the United States within a month. This expanded offering is expected to intensify competition between El Al, Arkia, United, and Delta. Currently, there is no confirmed information regarding American Airlines' return date to Israel.

Irish budget carrier Ryanair is scheduled to resume operations on March 30. The airline confirmed this return date and noted they are selling direct flights to more than ten destinations from Israel, including Berlin, Athens, Larnaca, and other cities. Spanish carrier Iberia will also restart operations on March 30, increasing competition on the Madrid route currently served by Israeli airlines and Air Europa. Air Baltic will follow on April 2 with direct flights to Riga, and three days later, on April 5, aviation giant British Airways is expected to return to Israeli skies.

The next month represents a critical period for aviation in Israel. If all carriers return as scheduled, alongside those already operating, it will mark a substantial improvement compared to the situation during the war period. Several major airlines have yet to announce their return, including Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Portuguese TAP, Emirates, Korean Air, American Airlines, and others.

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Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres has dispatched an unusual letter to American airline companies, calling for the resumption of flights to Israel.

"I am deeply concerned about the halt in air travel between the United States and Israel," Torres began. "The suspension has been so prolonged and so pervasive that El Al, an Israeli airline, has become the sole carrier offering direct flights from America to Israel. The lack of competition has made air travel to Israel less available and less affordable, putting customers at the mercy of a de facto monopoly that can easily gouge prices with impunity."

Torres then hinted at a possible boycott by some carriers: "Airlines should be prohibited from effectively boycotting or otherwise discriminating against the world's only Jewish State. It is one thing to temporarily suspend air travel to Israel on security grounds as defined by the FAA, but to unilaterally suspend air travel indefinitely until mid-2025, as American Airlines has done, has the practical effect of a boycott," he wrote.

"Given the arbitrary length of the suspension, one could be forgiven for thinking that the BDS movement had taken over the American aviation industry without anyone noticing, much less crying foul. By what logic and in what universe is it safe for El Al to travel to Israel but too dangerous for American Airlines, Delta, and United to do so?"

He further pointed out that "UAE airlines like Etihad, FlyDubai, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi continue to fly to Israel without incident."

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A somber discovery was made on an El Al flight from Bangkok to Tel Aviv when a 66-year-old passenger was found dead mid-journey. The tragic incident went unnoticed by fellow travelers for hours.

Yosef Dorfman, a ZAKA volunteer among the passengers, recognized the situation and managed the incident. Dorfman recounted, "Mid-flight, a child in the same row alerted the medical team to check on an unresponsive passenger. An onboard physician confirmed the death, and we promptly relocated the deceased to the plane's rear seats. We covered the body and maintained the dignity of the deceased until we landed at Ben Gurion Airport." ZAKA said that this marks the second time in the past year that Dorfman had to handle a death during a flight.

El Al, however, presented a different account: "The body wasn't discovered by a ZAKA volunteer, but rather when the crew attempted to wake the passenger for breakfast. Furthermore, the child seated next to the deceased didn't alert the crew; they noticed the situation while serving breakfast."

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The desert nation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) found itself in an unprecedented situation on Wednesday, attempting to recover from the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the country. This historic weather event, as described by the state-run WAM news agency, surpassed "anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949".

The deluge primarily impacted Dubai, where the city's international airport, a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates, was inundated with floodwaters. The rains began late Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at the airport. However, the situation intensified around 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, with the storms continuing throughout the day, dumping more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall onto the overwhelmed city within 24 hours.

Video: Arab social media

At Dubai International Airport, standing water lapped on taxiways as aircraft landed, forcing authorities to halt arrivals. Passengers struggled to reach terminals through the floodwater covering surrounding roads. One couple, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, described the situation at the airport as "absolute carnage," with people sleeping in the Metro station and the airport itself due to the lack of transportation options.

The airport acknowledged on Wednesday morning that the flooding had left "limited transportation options" and affected flights as aircraft crews couldn't reach the airfield. "Recovery will take some time," the airport said on the social platform X. "We thank you for your patience and understanding while we work through these challenges."

The Sharjah-based UAE carrier Air Arabia has suspended check-in for both inbound and outbound flights until Apr. 18 due to the weather's severe impact.

Paul Griffiths, the airport's CEO, acknowledged continued issues with flooding, saying every place an aircraft could be safely parked was taken. Some aircraft had been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the city-state's second airfield. "It remains an incredibly challenging time. In living memory, I don't think anyone has ever seen conditions like it," Griffiths told the state-owned talk radio station Dubai Eye. "We are in uncharted territory, but I can assure everyone we are working as hard as we possibly can to make sure our customers and staff are looked after."

The rains were not limited to Dubai, as precipitation was also reported in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. However, the UAE was particularly affected, with one potential contributing factor being "cloud seeding," a process in which the government flies small planes through clouds, burning special salt flares to increase precipitation.

While rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid Arabian Peninsula nation, it occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. However, many roads and other areas lack proper drainage due to the lack of regular rainfall, leading to flooding. Authorities sent tanker trucks to pump away the water, and some residents had to bail out their flooded homes. As of now, authorities canceled school and instructed citizens to work from home. The government offered no overall damage or injury information, but in Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate, police reported that a 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwater.

In neighboring Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, the situation was equally dire, with at least 19 people killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement from the country's National Committee for Emergency Management. Tragically, this figure includes 10 schoolchildren and an adult who were swept away in a vehicle, prompting condolences from rulers across the region.

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Two Israeli airlines launched their first commercial flights between Israel and Morocco on Sunday, less than a year after the countries officially normalized relations.

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Israir's flight departed Tel Aviv for Marrakech with around 100 Israeli tourists, the company said, hours before Israeli national carrier El Al dispatched its first direct flight to the same destination.

Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov said the new direct flights would "help advance fruitful tourism, trade and economic cooperation and diplomatic agreements between the two countries."

Israel and Morocco agreed to normalize relations in late 2020 as part of the US-brokered "Abraham Accords." Morocco was among four Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

As part of the deal, the United States agreed to recognize Morocco's claim to the long-disputed Western Sahara region, however, the Biden administration said it will review this decision. Morocco's 1975 annexation of Western Sahara is not recognized by the United Nations.

Many Israeli Jews have a lineage that traces back to Morocco, which is still home to a small Jewish community of several thousand.

El Al said in a statement before the departure of its first flight that the company plans to operate five flights per week between Israel and Morocco.

"We hope that now many can know Morocco better, to experience and be excited by this special country that is deeply rooted in Israeli heritage, culture and experience," said El Al CEO Avigal Sorek.

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United Arab Emirates carriers Etihad Airways and flydubai have temporarily canceled flights to Tel Aviv, joining American and European airlines in avoiding Israel due to escalating hostilities there.

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Airlines in the UAE, which established diplomatic relations with Israel last year, have only in the past few months launched regular services to Israel.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad has suspended all passenger and cargo services to Tel Aviv from Sunday, it said on its website, citing the conflict.

"Etihad is monitoring the situation in Israel and continues to maintain close contact with authorities and security intelligence providers," it said.

Flydubai has also cancelled flights from Dubai on Sunday, its website shows, though two flights operated on Saturday. Other flights are scheduled for next week, according to its website.

The airline has recently operated fewer than its scheduled four daily flights, citing a drop in demand.

Palestinian terrorist factions in Gaza have repeatedly fired rockets at the Tel Aviv area during hostilities that erupted last Monday, leading to several airlines canceling flights this week.

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The cabinet has voted to cancel limitations on air travel to and from Israel, starting Tuesday, March 16, allowing the airlines that serve Israel to operate flights to nearly all destinations worldwide.

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The cabinet vote comes after a discussion in the High Court of Justice about reopening Israel's skies. Later Monday, the government was supposed to submit to the court a list of Israelis stranded abroad who want to return. This is a key issue, as Israel will be holding a general election on March 23 and there is no mechanism in place for Israelis to vote by absentee ballot, unless they are serving in a very limited number of public positions and have permission to do so.

However, a cap on 3,000 incoming travelers a day will remain in place, at leastThe  for now, meaning that 90,000 Israelis at most will be able to enter the country over the course of one month.

The decision to limit the number of travelers entering Israel stems from a desire by the health and transportation ministries to enforce quarantine for returning citizens, which would be difficult if more people entered. However, Israelis who have been vaccinated against or who have recovered from COVID are exempt from quarantine, so the more vaccinated/recovered citizens there are, the likelier it is that the quota will be removed.

Also on Monday, the cabinet was slated to discuss electronic monitoring, via a bracelet, as a method of enforcing quarantine. If approved, the government will be able to use it as a way of policing quarantine.

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Egyptair has submitted an official request to operate flights to Tel Aviv, unnamed officials confirmed to i24NEWS, Thursday.

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Egypt is interested in having its national airline operate regular direct flights to and from Israel instead of Air Sinai, which has operated the route for the past decades. Late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had refused to let the state-owned flag carrier land in Israel.

Air Sinai currently operates seven flights a week using two designated aircraft only.

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According to the request, Egypt is looking to replace the smaller company with the national carrier and plans to operate 21 flights a week to Israel.

The development follows Egypt's view that the historic Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have dramatically eased regional tensions and opened new possibilities for travel and commerce.

Cairo believes Egyptair can also benefit financially from the move since Israel serves as a stopover on the route to the African continent, the officials said.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Israelis who have been vaccinated for or recovered from the coronavirus will be able to travel from Ben-Gurion Airport to Eilat as early as this week as part of a special pilot conducted by local provider Israir, the airline announced Sunday. 

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The company is set to launch a series of flights this week to try new ways of having passengers arrive and leave the airport. Eilat was chosen as a destination as the government has already allowed all hotels in the city to reopen. 

As part of the first stage of the pilot, Israir will launch a weekly flight to Eilat on Tuesday. The price of the ticket is set at 141 shekels ($43).

Every passenger will be required to present a "green passport" that confirms they have either been fully vaccinated or a certificate verifying they have recovered from COVID. 

Airline employees working on such flights will be fully vaccinated, as well. 

Israir noted that besides the pilot, it also plans to resume its regular scheduled flights for the general public, stressing that each aircraft will be disinfected in accordance with regulations. 

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In a sign we may soon see a return to normal, El Al Israel Airlines announced it had vaccinated all of its employees that come into contact with passengers and customers for the coronavirus.

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With the announcement, El Al became the world's first airline to have all of its relevant staff, including flight and ground attendants, security personnel, pilots, and other service personnel, inoculated against the virus.

Accompanied by El Al employees received Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine through their healthcare providers.

In a statement, El Al's local competitor Israir said 95% of its pilots had gotten the jab.

Arkia Israeli Airlines, announced around 70% of its employees had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

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