Low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizzair are returning to Israel thanks to the so far successful implementation of the ceasefire in the north, with plans to return to full capacity by the summer, according to Globes.
Ryanair had spoken to Reuters saying that they intend to return to full capacity in servicing Israel by the summer, and Globes reports that tickets can already start to be booked from April 1 onwards.
The Hungarian airline Wizzair, which had previously only renewed its servicing of the Israel-Cyprus route, is reportedly set to expand its destinations from Israel to another 14, thus returning to something like the service it provided before the war started.
These changes are already showing in the price tags: a ticket to Rome costs $480 and up on El Al, but just $147 and up on Ryanair. People flying to Milan need to pay $454 and up, but just $134 on Ryanair. The same is true of Berlin and Vienna.
El Al, moreover, is having trouble finding seating room for all the passengers who want to fly on the Israeli airline, which was often the only airline for many destinations when the war ran hot in both the north and south.
Nevertheless, Israelis are still far from having the options they did before the war in terms of competition, prices, and destinations. This is especially true when it comes to American airlines, who are still cagey about returning to service the war-torn country and who do not want to go back to a start-stop approach based on escalations.
Jews and their representatives in Congress and the Senate have complained loudly about this "silent embargo," which - even though driven by uncertainty and fear for their crews' safety, effectively legitimizes the idea of a travel boycott against the country and its citizens.
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