Israel’s El Al Airlines has announced that it intends to resume flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow on May 1, 2025. The decision comes after the Israeli national airline determined that Russia’s airspace was safe enough to resume operations following a review. El Al will join only a handful of other Western airlines currently permitted to fly to Moscow, joining the likes of Air Serbia, Etihad, Emirates, and Turkish Airlines.
According to a report published by Reuters, El Al will operate seven flights per week on the 1,622-mile (2,595km) route from its base at Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion Airport (TEL) and Moscow from the start of May 2025. The airline had continued serving the Russian capital up until the end of 2024 but halted flights after concerns were raised following the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in December 2024, allegedly caused by Russian anti-aircraft fire. 38 lives were lost in the accident as the stricken aircraft crashed while attempting to land in Kazakhstan.
According to an airline statement, El Al had taken the decision to resume flights to Moscow following a situation assessment and ongoing discussions with authorities in Russia to ensure flight safety. “The resumption of flights to Moscow reflects part of El Al’s ongoing efforts to expand its destination network and provide passengers with access to important flight routes,” it said. The flights will operate daily to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport (DME).
Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions between Russia and many Western countries, Israel has tried to remain clear of taking sides in the conflict. While the country is a key ally of the United States and indeed, sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the early stages of that country’s war with Russia, Israel has strong cultural ties with Russia which it has been keen to maintain. Israel did not join in sanctions against Russia as it sought to find a balance between reacting against the war while trying to support its aviation sector and important cultural ties between the two countries.
Approximately 1.3 million people, or nearly 15% of Israel’s population are Russian speakers, many of whom have remained Russian citizens after emigrating to Israel, while others still have family members in Russia. The country closed its airspace to airlines from 36 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union, in 2022 as a result of Ukraine-related sanctions targeting its aviation sector.
While Russia’s state airline Aeroflot halted international flights to the majority of its international destinations in 2022 including Tel Aviv, private Russian carrier Red Wings Airlines has continued to operate regular services between Moscow and Tel Aviv route, using its fleet of Tupolev Tu-204 twinjets.
On the same day that it was revealed that El Al would recommence flights to Moscow, the Israel Airport Authority announced in a separate statement that on May 1, 2025, El Al will also be resuming domestic flights between Tel Aviv and the southernmost Red Sea resort city of Eilat, after a 12-year hiatus. The very short 169-mile (270km) route was last served by the carrier in 2013 but was halted due to security concerns at Eilat Airport.