Romanian national airline group Tarom has resumed flights to Tel Aviv from Jan. 1, after the service was suspended following the Hamas terror group’s October 7 onslaught in southern Israel.
It’s one of the only European airlines to resume flights so far.
The first flight, RO 155 departed from Bucharest on Jan. 1 landing in Tel Aviv shortly before midnight and was flown by Cătălin Prunariu, the flight director of Tarom.
“Our mission is to connect people and transport them safely to their chosen destinations. The atmosphere I felt in the passenger cabin on the flight from Tel Aviv on January 1st was one of about resilience and strengthened my confidence in the power of each person to contribute to what we all want and need – peace and harmony. This flight is another step towards normality”, said Catalin Prunariu.
The flight on the first day of 2024 marked the resumption of regular Tarom flights from Bucharest to Tel Aviv.
The airline aims to operate two weekly return flights starting January 14, depending on the situation. A risk analysis will be applied to every flight, with close monitoring of the situation in Israel and direct communication with Israeli authorities.
German airline Lufthansa is also resuming flights this month. It will initially offer 20 connections a week to and from Tel Aviv, around 30% of its flights before Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
Lufthansa Airlines will offer connections from Frankfurt and Munich, while Austrian Airlines and SWISS will also restart the service.
SWISS said it was resuming five weekly flights between Zurich and Tel Aviv, with five weekly flights from January 8.
Lufthansa group halted flights to Israel on October 9, citing security concerns after Hamas terrorists carried out an unprecedented attack against Israel in which some 1,200 people were slaughtered and around 240 taken hostage.
