Lufthansa to resume freighter flights to TLV amid ceasefire

Lufthansa Cargo will start flying to Tel Aviv again beginning Jan. 22, following the ceasefire deal expected to go into effect Jan. 19 between Israel and Hamas. Many carriers, including Lufthansa, stopped flying to Israel following the outbreak of the most recent Israel-Hamas war, which began in October 2023. [caption id="attachment_57148258" align="aligncenter" width="1660"] (Courtesy/Lufthansa Cargo)[/caption] Lufthansa Cargo will fly one of its 777Fs from Frankfurt (FRA) to Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV), on Jan. 22 and Jan. 29, the carrier announced Jan. 16. Both flights are open to booking. Register here for Cargo Facts ’ free webinar, “ACMI, CMI and Charter in 2025: Challenges and Opportunities,” taking place on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 11:00 a.m. ET (UTC -5). Beginning Feb. 1, Lufthansa Cargo plans to offer four weekly connections to TLV with an A321P2F, in addition to the weekly 777F flight. Lufthansa Group will resume passenger flights to TLV with its major airline subsidiaries: Austrian Airlines; Brussels Airlines; Eurowings; and Swiss. Lufthansa Group flights to Tehran (IKA) will remain suspended until Feb. 14 and to Beirut (BEY) until Feb. 28, the carrier group said. Freighter ops at TLV Israel-based airline El Al never ceased flights to and from Israel. In fact, in the early days of the war, El Al removed seats from a 777-200ER (33169) to accommodate more cargo and welcomed a 737-800BCF (33004) to its fleet as the carrier increased its cargo operations to transport supplies. While unit 33004 has been actively flying to and from Europe, unit 33169 is currently parked at TLV. Similarly, Israel-based Challenge Airlines IL has continued to operate its two 747-400Fs (26563 and 35172) and a 767-300BDSF (28207) to and from TLV. Meanwhile, other operators have also flown freighters to the airport, including: Uzbekistan-based My Freighter, using converted 767-300Fs; Silk Way West, using 747-400Fs and 777Fs; and Ethiopian Airlines, using converted 737-800Fs. U.S. carriers remain cautious After war broke out, top U.S.-based carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines all canceled operations to Israel . Carriers around the world followed suit. Delta announced in October 2024 that flights to Israel would remain suspended through March 31. This decision had not been altered as of this afternoon. “We’re monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports,” a Delta spokesperson told Cargo Facts . United Airlines confirmed today to Cargo Facts that flights to TLV remain suspended. American Airlines flights to TLV likely remain suspended. American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment by publication time and has not issued any statements on the matter. Air France's flights to TLV and Beirut, Lebanon (BEY), remain suspended, but the carrier will evaluate in the coming week whether to resume the service, an Air France-KLM spokesperson told Cargo Facts . KLM flights to TLV will remain suspended through the end of March, the spokesperson said. Red Sea attacks It remains unclear what effect the Israel-Hamas ceasefire will have on the situation in the Red Sea. Since the outbreak of the war, Houthi rebels have been firing on ships in the Red Sea, forcing shippers to use alternate routes or turn to air . Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi publicly stated that his group would halt its attacks following implementation of the ceasefire. However, he also said that the Houthi militants would be prepared to resume hostilities and provide military support to Hamas. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts LATAM 2025 on Feb. 10-11 at the Pullman Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport in Brazil; Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

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