Flydubai’s suspension of flights to Israel is already being felt far beyond the Tel Aviv-Dubai route. The airline had been one of the main carriers transporting Israelis to destinations across Asia via the United Arab Emirates, and with a sharp drop in available seats, fares on some routes are soaring while availability is shrinking.
A ynet price check found unusually high fares in recent days to Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Tokyo and Sri Lanka, in some cases several times higher than prices available only about a week ago.
Etihad Airways is currently the only airline operating direct flights between Tel Aviv and the United Arab Emirates. Since the Flydubai incident, it has significantly increased service to Abu Dhabi, from two flights a day to as many as eight.
Even that expansion, however, has so far failed to fill the gap, particularly for passengers connecting through Abu Dhabi to destinations in Asia.
The most striking example found by ynet was Manila. On the Saturday before the incident, a one-way ticket from Tel Aviv to the Philippine capital, with a stop in Abu Dhabi, could be found for $447. In a new check, the same route was offered for $1,966, more than four times as much, with almost no seats left on upcoming flights even at that price.
On Oct. 7, the fare drops to about $1,200 one way, still nearly three times the price found a week earlier. Between Oct. 9 and 12, ynet found no remaining economy-class seats, with the available options limited to business class at around $2,500 one way.
On Oct. 13, a small number of economy seats were available on an overnight flight via Abu Dhabi for about $1,100. Only around Oct. 17 did fares return to a more moderate level, at roughly $587 one way.
Manila is not an isolated case. A check of round-trip flights to Asia during the first half of October found high prices for several other popular destinations.
Etihad Airways
(Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock)
A flight to Phuket between Oct. 10 and 17 was offered for between $1,958 and $2,421 per passenger, while a Tokyo flight with a stop in Abu Dhabi between Oct. 10 and 24 started at $2,611.
Tickets to Sri Lanka on Etihad via Abu Dhabi were available from $1,585, compared with roughly $800 to $1,100 during normal periods, according to data from Ophir Tours.
Travelers trying to bypass connecting routes through the UAE are not necessarily finding cheaper alternatives.
A direct Arkia flight to Phuket between Oct. 7 and 15 was priced from $2,198 per passenger. For Bangkok, the nearest available Arkia seats found by ynet were between Oct. 11 and 17, starting at $2,498. El Al had seats on a direct Bangkok flight between Oct. 11 and 20 from $1,658.
The situation was similar for Tokyo. A direct El Al flight between Oct. 11 and 18 was offered from $1,758, while Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines flights with a stop in Europe between Oct. 10 and 24 started at $2,611.
“The Flydubai incident is indeed affecting not only the route between Israel and Dubai, but the entire market for flights to Asia,” said Yoni Waxman, deputy chairman of Ophir Tours.
Tokyo
(Photo: i viewfinder / Shutterstock)
“Dubai serves as a major transit point for Israelis traveling to destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and India, and when a significant volume of seats is removed from the market, that naturally puts upward pressure on prices.”
Waxman said demand is already increasing for alternatives, particularly Israeli airlines and foreign carriers that continue operating.
“The longer the current situation continues, especially as we approach periods of high demand, the more likely it is that we will see further increases in fares to Asia,” he said. “So anyone planning a trip in the near future should not wait until the last minute.”
The increases are not limited to flights in the coming days. According to Ophir Tours data, travelers already trying to book winter trips are also encountering significantly higher prices.
A round-trip Arkia ticket to Bangkok in January 2027 is currently being offered from $1,978, compared with about $1,200 before the end of September, an increase of roughly 65%.
El Al’s Bangkok fare for January is around $1,800 round trip, compared with about $1,200 before the end of September, a rise of roughly 50%.
On LOT Polish Airlines, the price is now about $1,250, up from approximately $830, an increase of around 51%.
Ethiopian Airlines was offering fares at about $1,212, compared with roughly $850 through the end of September, a difference of about 43%.
Airfares and seat availability change frequently, and the prices cited in this article reflect the results available at the time of the check.