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British Airways and Iberia return to Tel Aviv

Most international carriers have already restarted service to Israel.

A British Airways flight seen at the airstrip at the Ben Gurion International Airport. February 26, 2015. Photo by Moshe Shai/Flash90.
A British Airways flight seen at the airstrip at the Ben Gurion International Airport. February 26, 2015. Photo by Moshe Shai/Flash90.

British Airways and Iberia resumed flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday, after an eight-month pause caused by the regional conflict with Iran.

The move by the British and Spanish national flag carriers, which restarted daily non-stop service from London and Madrid respectively, comes amid a summer rebound in tourism, and as thousands of Israelis living abroad return to Israel to vote in Tuesday’s general election.

Most international carriers that flew to Israel before the regional violence have already restarted service to Tel Aviv, with American Airlines being one of the last remaining holdouts.

Flights to and from Dubai remain suspended, however, following last month’s cockpit attack on a flight to Tel Aviv, amid disagreements over aviation security measures between Israeli and Emirati authorities.

Etgar Lefkovits, an award-winning international journalist, is an Israel correspondent and a feature news writer for JNS. A native of Chicago, he has two decades of experience in journalism, having served as Jerusalem correspondent in one of the world’s most demanding positions. He is currently based in Tel Aviv.
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