Virgin Atlantic has dropped its route between London and Tel Aviv despite original plans to relaunch flights in the Autumn, following their suspension with the outbreak of the Gaza War.
The British airline, which shared the route between Ben-Gurion Airport and London Heathrow with El Al, confirmed on Monday that flights would not, in fact, resume as was previously planned.
Before the war, it was operating up to 16 flights a day between the UK and Israel, including multiple connection options across Israel or, in the other direction, onward to the US.
The carrier had planned to begin flying again in October in a decision announced during the latest ceasefire. However, when the peace collapsed in March, Virgin undertook a “thorough review” and concluded that it would cancel the route.
“After careful consideration, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel our services between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said in a statement.
They added: “Customers impacted by the cancellation who booked directly through Virgin Atlantic will be notified by email starting May 10, 2025, and the cancellation will also be reflected in the 'My Bookings' section on our website at that time.
"We apologise for the inconvenience and remain committed to delivering the highest level of service during this transitional period.
"Although we will no longer operate direct flights on this route, we remain committed to serving our customers travelling between Israel and the United Kingdom through our codeshare partnership with El Al.”
The surprise decision comes at a time when an increasing number of foreign airlines have resumed service to Israel, including Virgin’s chief rival, British Airways, which was halted during the war.
Senior figures in the Israeli tourism industry have expressed concern over the decision’s impact.
Shirley Cohen-Arakbi, deputy CEO of Eshet Tours, told Ynet: "This is not good news, but it’s also not a dramatic development. The gap left by foreign airlines that cancelled their operations at Ben-Gurion has been filled by both Israeli and other foreign carriers, and no shortage of flights is expected.
"For example, when it comes to connecting flights, the United Arab Emirates has now become a central hub for flights to the Far East, and we expect to see additional new routes opening to replace the cancelled slots."
In addition to El Al and British Airways, Israir and the budget carrier Wizz Air will continue to fly between Tel Aviv and the UK.
