Iraq and Israel reopened their skies on June 24, 2025, following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran. Iranian airspace continues to be restricted and only international flights with the prior approval of the Iranian Civil Aviation Authority are allowed.
El Al Resumes Routes and Lifts Passenger Limits
With the reopening of airspace, El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) announced it will resume more routes on top of its restricted network of rescue flights operated since June 18. The flag carrier of Israel will also lift a pre-existing restriction of 50 passengers per flight.
El Al stated that it would first sell seats only to preregistered customers, giving priority to those who had seen their flights previously cancelled. “Following our allocation to all our customers, flights will be available for booking to the general public,” it stated. For the moment, El Al is going to resume public sales for flights after July 22, 2025.
Israir, Arkia, and airHaifa Update Flight Schedules
Israir has cancelled all flights until July 7 and will only make rescue flights until then. Arkia Israeli Airlines has cancelled all scheduled flights through the end of June. airHaifa reopened ticket sales for its Haifa-Larnaca flight on June 25 and plans to resume a normal flight schedule on July 1.
Iraqi Airways began gradually resuming its scheduled flight operations on June 25, while all scheduled services to and from Iran remain suspended until further notice.
Airspace Closures Began Amid Escalating Strikes and Retaliation
The three nations closed their respective airspaces on June 13, following the Israeli, and subsequently US, airstrikes against Iran, which led to Tehran’s retaliation.
On June 23, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace completely, and Saudi Arabia partially, following Iran’s attack on Doha Al Udeid, a military airport that accommodates one of the region’s most significant US deployments.
