Lufthansa Group said Wednesday it will gradually resume flights to and from Israel beginning June 1, in one of the clearest signs yet that major European carriers are preparing to return to the Ben Gurion Airport after months of disruption.
The group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, said the decision was made after "a comprehensive security and safety assessment."
Under the planned return, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo will resume operations on the Tel Aviv route starting June 1.
Lufthansa and Swiss are expected to restart passenger flights on July 1. Eurowings is expected to resume flights to Tel Aviv in mid-July.
Brussels Airlines, however, has suspended its flights to Ben Gurion Airport until October 24.
The German aviation giant’s announcement came one day after a significant update from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, regarding its airspace warning for the region.
EASA extended the warning through May 27, 2026, but for the first time since the conflict began in late February, the language of the advisory appeared notably softer.
According to EASA, the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is holding, and the situation on the ground has shifted from an active and intensive military conflict to a state of "high tension" marked only by limited and isolated incidents.
Despite the lower risk level, the agency still recommends that European airlines completely avoid flying over Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
For Israel, however, the recommendation has been downgraded to a more moderate level, calling on airlines to exercise caution and conduct ongoing risk assessments.
The shift helps explain the willingness of major carriers to begin returning to Israel, though flight schedules are still expected to remain subject to security reviews and further developments in the region.