Warm Skies: Israir to Fly to Madrid, Romania's Animawings Returns

Israir will operate a direct route to Madrid starting October 25, with three weekly flights on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, priced from $340 round-trip. Meanwhile, Romania's Animawings will resume flights between Bucharest and Ben Gurion Airport tomorrow, after a suspension since the start of Operation 'Roar of the Lion'. United Airlines is expected to return to Israel on September 8 with two daily flights priced from $1,117 one-way, and Delta is expected to resume flights in September.

Israir has announced the launch of a direct flight route to Madrid, the capital of Spain, starting October 25. The company will operate three weekly flights on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, departing from Ben Gurion Airport in the afternoon and landing from Madrid at night. Round-trip ticket prices will start at $340 per person. In parallel, tomorrow (Monday), the Romanian airline Animawings will resume flights between Bucharest and Ben Gurion Airport, after the route was suspended at the start of Operation 'Roar of the Lion' and has not been renewed since. The company will operate the route with a frequency of three weekly flights, on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, until October 4, 2026. This is another renewal of the air link between Israel and Romania, after flights were halted several times during the past year due to the security situation, and the operators of the route were mainly Israeli airlines - El Al, Israir, and Arkia - and the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air. The return of Animawings is expected to increase the seat supply on the route, at a time when demand for flights between Israel and Eastern European destinations continues to be significant. Competition between the companies may affect ticket prices and the volume of supply during the holiday season and the coming months. Three days ago, it was reported that the American airline United Airlines is preparing to return to Israel in September, and has already sent an update to its local suppliers that, unlike previous cases, this time the date is confirmed and the return is expected to materialize. United - like many other foreign airlines - stopped its flights to Israel following the war with Iran at the end of February. United will return to fly from Ben Gurion on September 8, with two daily flights operated by the company's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. However, in terms of price, passengers should not expect a great deal: the airline's first flights are being sold from $1,117 one-way, with some classes already full. The American company Delta is also expected to resume flights to Israel in September.