Travel plans to and from Tel Aviv are finally stabilizing. Brussels Airlines has confirmed it will restart weekly service between Brussels Airport and Ben Gurion Airport beginning August 1, 2026, marking a significant thaw in what has been one of Europe's most disrupted airline routes since October 2023.
A single flight will depart Brussels each Wednesday bound for Israel's coast. The airline has been transparent about the challenges ahead. In the opening month, the carrier will rely on volunteer crew members drawn from training and administrative staff, as many regular flight attendants and pilots have declined the assignment citing security worries and regional tensions.
This staffing reality reflects genuine friction within the industry. Christian trade union ACV Puls/CNE actively campaigned against its members working Israeli routes, framing it as resistance to what they called normalizing relations with Israel. Not every employee has answered the call to fly this route.
Yet Brussels Airlines is hardly alone in making this move. As a member of the Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance, the carrier joins numerous international operators already operating or preparing to resume Tel Aviv service. Brussels Airport is bracing for its biggest summer surge in years, and restored Middle East connectivity is part of that recovery.
What's Flying Where Right Now
European cities are progressively reconnecting to Tel Aviv across June, July, and beyond. Austrian Airlines from Vienna kicked things off. Sofia and Varna now see flights from Bulgaria Air, El Al, and Wizz Air. Cyprus has become a hub of sorts, with eight different carriers operating from Larnaca to various Israeli airports.
The network reads like a tour of European aviation: Smartwings and El Al from Prague. SAS and Norwegian Air from Copenhagen. Air France and Transavia from Paris. Berlin is getting multiple options. Warsaw has three carriers back in service. Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga round out the Spanish picture, with seasonal summer flights from Malaga.
If you're plotting a journey to Israel from anywhere in Central or Western Europe, options exist. What doesn't exist anymore is certainty. Aviation authorities and travelers alike learned this lesson over the past three years.
Why This Matters Now
Regional disruption has hammered Middle Eastern aviation repeatedly since February 2026, when military conflict over the Strait of Hormuz forced closure of a critical transit corridor. That followed years of suspensions tied to the October 2023 Hamas attacks and subsequent Israeli operations. Carriers pulling out became the norm rather than the exception.
The recovery now underway is tentative but real. Airlines are returning because demand exists and because the security environment, while still contested, has shifted enough to make operations feasible.
Before You Book Your Flight
If you're planning travel to or from Israel, contact your airline directly for the latest route information and schedules. These connections remain fluid. European airlines continue adapting their global networks in response to real-time security assessments and demand patterns. The route you want might be available, or it might still be weeks away.
Patience and flexibility remain your best travel companions on this route.
