Virgin Atlantic has decided not to resume its flights to Tel Aviv, Israel. The airline had halted services to Israel following the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Virgin Atlantic, through its communication with Simple Flying, explained that the decision followed “careful consideration.”
Virgin Atlantic pointed out its existing partnership with EL AL, the Israeli flag carrier, which provides direct services between London and Tel Aviv. The partnership allows passengers to utilize EL AL flights while retaining benefits, such as earning and redeeming points through Virgin’s Flying Club and EL AL’s Matmid program. Virgin Atlantic emphasized that customers with existing bookings will be notified of their options from May 10, including possible rebooking or refunds.
EL AL will maintain connections from Tel Aviv to London-Heathrow, facilitating further travel to various US cities, including Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, and New York. According to Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool, Virgin Atlantic plans 157 weekly US-bound departures from London-Heathrow in June, serving cities like Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando, Seattle, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, with all receiving at least daily flights.
Simultaneously, EL AL will operate a network from Tel Aviv to the US, excluding only Fort Lauderdale and Newark airports. While British Airways has reinstated its service to Tel Aviv from London-Heathrow using narrowbody aircraft, this marks a shift from their previous use of twin-aisle jets on the route.
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