Ben Gurion Airport resumed full operations at midnight Wednesday night, following a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced Tuesday night, April 8 – bringing relief to the many bochurim, sem girls, and families who had been stranded abroad or stuck in Eretz Yisroel unable to get out over Pesach.

Israeli airspace had been closed to regular commercial traffic since February 28, when joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered wartime aviation restrictions limiting flights to one or two per hour, with outbound passenger caps as low as 50.

Chaim V’Chessed reported that over Yom Tov it was contacted by “numerous visitors who had come to Israel to spend Yom Tov, only to be notified that their outbound flights had been canceled amid the security situation.” Many thousands more who had left before Pesach, including shluchim and bochurim looking to return for the start of the summer zman, are now working to secure seats home.

El Al is expanding from roughly eight operating gateways to approximately thirty destinations beginning next week, including New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Bangkok, and Tokyo, with priority given to passengers whose wartime flights were canceled. Arkia and Israir are also expanding, with Arkia targeting near-full operations by May 3.

Nearly all foreign carriers remain suspended. British Airways extended its suspension through June 30. United Airlines is not resuming New York–Tel Aviv service until at least September 7, and Delta has pushed its return to September 5. With Israeli carriers holding near-exclusive control of most routes, airfares have risen sharply, with tickets to New York for August already selling above $2,000.

Greek carrier Blue Bird Airways is set to be the first to return with service to Athens starting Sunday, April 12. Etihad Airways will resume flights to Abu Dhabi on April 15, and Wizz Air plans to reopen bookings starting April 25. However, dozens of other major international carriers – including Lufthansa, Air France, and Air Canada- have delayed their return dates into late May, the summer, or beyond.

Chaim V’Chessed noted that “seat availability remains limited and prices are expected to be high in the immediate term,” and recommended travelers use a competent travel agent, who “can often obtain hard-to-get seats.”

Herzliya Airport resumed operations Thursday morning. Ramon Airport in Eilat is expected to reopen Sunday. Haifa Airport remains under review due to the ongoing situation in Lebanon.