• UK airline Virgin Atlantic will not return to Israel after 18 months of postponement.
• Two British airlines to still make a return.
UK airline Virgin Atlantic has announced that it has cancelled its flights from London to Tel Aviv permanently with immediate effect.
The cessation of flights comes after Virgin Atlantic cancelled flights on October 11 and postponed its return to the route several times out of uncertainty regarding the security situation in Tel Aviv.
Virgin Atlantic operated 14 weekly flights to Israel on a twice-daily basis before the suspension.
The airline said: “Customers affected by the cancellation of the route and who booked their flight directly through Virgin Atlantic will receive a notification by email. We apologise for the inconvenience and continue to work to provide the highest level of service even during this transition period.”
According to Globes News, the company had announced that it would return and operate flights between the two countries in September 2024 with seven weekly flights, which were planned to include a stop in Larnaca en route, but following the escalation in the security situation, it backtracked on this decision.
The cessation of flights comes after almost 18 months of customers asking, “Will they or won’t they?” after the airline considered the future of the 2,233-mile route and its compatibility in the carrier’s expanding route network.
The most recent postponement of the company’s return was in November 2024 when the company postponed its return all the way to October 2025.
It was only on Tuesday it was confirmed the airline would be permanently ceasing operations.
The airline has just launched flights to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and has also announced a new route to Seoul, South Korea, from early 2026.
The airline has the potential to now deploy its aircraft meant for Tel Aviv to other places and can save money and resources in doing so.
Despite the airline’s quick change, two other UK airlines have announced the resumption of flights to Israel despite ongoing security risks.
British Airways, which restarted flights to and from Israel at the start of April 2025, and low-cost carrier easyJet, which will resume flights at the start of June 2025.
The security situation in Israel remains unclear with Houthi forces in Yemen firing a projectile into Israel only last week, leading to at least dozens of air raid sirens going off with evacuations prevalent.
Tel Aviv airport has fallen prey to the terror of missiles numerous times over the last few months with both Yemen and Hamas missiles triggering evacuations in the airport.
