With the war with Iran seemingly over, Israel reopened its airspace last week, days before the school summer holidays begin and the peak travel season takes off.

However, with only few foreign airlines so far restarting their services to Tel Aviv and Israeli carriers struggling to fill the vacuum, the supply of seats for the high summer season is running out quickly. This is pushing up fares to new records, especially for vacationers who haven’t booked yet or who had their previously planned flights canceled.

“As expensive and as shocking as ticket prices were last summer, we have hit new record highs to destinations such as New York and Los Angeles or London or Rome. Prices are at least 10 to 15 percent higher than they were last year,” Mark Feldman, CEO of the Ziontours Jerusalem travel agency, told The Times of Israel. “Since there is little competition to Israeli airlines, tickets to Rome in August are selling for $950. Last year they were selling for around $800 or $850 [on those airlines], and two years ago for $500.”

“People are buying the tickets and are paying the price because they can’t wait for foreign airlines, especially the low-cost carriers, to come back,” said Feldman.

The recently implemented ceasefire between Israel and Iran has prompted mostly smaller foreign airlines, mainly those flying from Tel Aviv to nearby destinations in Greece and Cyprus and those connecting Israeli travelers to Eastern Europe and the Emirates, to announce a gradual resumption of flight services to and from Israel. French carrier Air France is the only major Western European airline that has so far announced a relaunch of flights, on its route between Paris and Tel Aviv, starting July 7.

As a result, Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia and Israir are currently the main carriers operating direct flights to many major cities in Europe and the US.

“Hopefully, it will stay quiet in our region, and we will see........

© The Times of Israel