Winter is still in full swing, with just days left in 2025 and eyes already on 2026, but airlines are looking ahead. This is the time of year when summer flight schedules are released and carriers unveil the destinations awaiting Israeli travelers in the upcoming peak season — along with additional flights, seats and new routes.
El Al, Israel’s largest airline, on Monday released its summer 2026 schedule, which will include about 900 weekly flights to more than 50 destinations worldwide. For the first time in its history, El Al will operate 55 weekly flights to its destinations in North America — the most extensive activity ever on the continent. As part of this expansion, the airline will add three weekly flights to New York (both JFK and Newark), bringing the total to up to seven daily flights. One more weekly flight will also be added to Miami.
The airline said demand for the Far East continues to grow, prompting an increase in flights to Bangkok with two additional weekly departures. In total, El Al will operate 16 weekly flights to Thailand this summer, including both Bangkok and Phuket.
The Tokyo route, which became a year-round service at the beginning of 2024 due to strong demand, will also be strengthened. El Al plans to operate up to five weekly flights during peak season, using its largest Dreamliner aircraft to offer more seats.
In Europe, Italy is shaping up to be one of the hottest destinations for the coming summer. El Al will operate up to 17 weekly flights to both Rome and Milan. Venice will see five weekly flights, and El Al subsidiary Sun d’Or will launch a new route to Naples with three weekly flights.
The Amsterdam route is also expanding: All morning flights to the Dutch capital will be operated on wide-body aircraft this summer, allowing for a significant increase in seat availability and an upgraded flight experience.
Portugal remains a popular destination, with six weekly flights to Lisbon and two to Porto. El Al will also increase frequencies to Budapest to 14 flights per week and to Munich with up to 11. Meanwhile, high-frequency service will continue on core routes to Paris and London, with 27 and 22 weekly flights respectively.
Shlomi Zafrany, El Al’s chief commercial and sales officer, said upon the release of the flight schedule: “We are attentive to the demands of the Israeli public and are working to expand our response to market needs in the U.S., as well as in high-demand routes to Europe and the Far East. Expanding our route network remains a top priority, and we expect to announce additional developments in the coming months in line with our strategic plan.”
Israir is preparing for summer 2026 with an expanded lineup of destinations and new routes, focusing on Europe and the Mediterranean.
The airline is launching two new destinations in Italy: Bari, with two weekly flights starting in May (roundtrip fares from $453 per passenger, excluding carry-on, for travel June 1–5), and Bologna, also with two weekly flights from May (from $375 roundtrip for the same travel period).
Additional new routes launching this summer include Düsseldorf, with two weekly flights beginning in May (from $349 roundtrip, excluding carry-on); Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete, with six weekly flights starting in April (from $332 roundtrip, excluding carry-on); and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with four weekly flights beginning in May (from $332 roundtrip, excluding carry-on).
Hila Harmolin Ronen, Israir’s vice president of marketing and sales, said the airline will expand its network in Italy starting May 2026 as part of a broader offering of 40 destinations worldwide. Alongside existing service to Rome, Naples, Verona and Sicily, Bari and Bologna will join the roster of Italian destinations. She added that Israir’s spring-summer 2026 schedule includes several other new destinations, including direct flights to Oslo for both organized tours and independent travelers. The airline is also preparing to receive new aircraft that will enable it to offer long-haul flights.
Arkia is rolling out updates to its summer 2026 flight schedule, including a new destination in Spain and the return of a popular route. The Israeli airline will launch direct flights to Málaga, a destination it has not served before, and resume flights to the island of Ibiza, which it operated until October 2023.
Flights to Málaga will run weekly on Tuesdays from July through October 2026, with an estimated flight time of about 5 hours and 15 minutes. Service to Ibiza will operate twice a week, on Sundays and Thursdays, from July through the end of August.
One-way fares to Málaga will start at $279, while tickets to Ibiza will start at $299. Both routes will be flown using wide-body Airbus aircraft, which Arkia acquired in the past year as part of its effort to expand service to longer-distance destinations.
Ibiza is considered one of Europe’s most popular summer spots and is known as the continent’s party capital, attracting tourists from around the world as well as travelers looking for a classic beach vacation. Málaga, capital of the Costa del Sol region, is also a sought-after summer destination, offering a mix of beaches, nightlife and pleasant weather.
Among foreign carriers, several small and mid-size airlines are also expanding their operations in Israel this summer, mainly on short-haul routes to popular European destinations. Greek airline Blue Bird Airways, owned by Israeli tour operator Kavei Hofsha and primarily focused on short flights to Greece and its islands, will add flights to Munich this summer, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with fares starting at €152 one way. The airline will also fly to Chania, on the island of Crete, on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with fares from €99.
Cypriot sister airline TUS Airways, also owned by Kavei Hofsha, will introduce two new family-friendly routes in 2026. Flights to Bologna, Italy, will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting at €135 one way. The same schedule will apply to flights to Naples, with fares beginning at €143.