Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS to resume flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday

German airline Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS aim to resume flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday, Lufthansa said.

Lufthansa had said on May 13 that it was suspending all flights to Tel Aviv due to the escalating conflict in Israel.

An Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas took hold on Friday after the worst violence in years.

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Middle East Palestinian Israeli conflict Foreign airlines begin to resume Tel Aviv flights after Gaza truce

While Israeli carrier El Al Israel Airlines kept flying, many international airlines including British Airways suspended flights to and from Israel’s main Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Others were diverted to Ramon Airport near Eilat, several hours drive away.

Tourism is a significant source of revenue for Israel and the neighboring Palestinian Authority although Israel controls entry into Palestinian areas and the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and militant rocket attacks on Israeli towns ceased after 11 days under an agreement mediated by Egypt.

During the last major hostilities between Israel and Hamas, a 2014 war that lasted seven weeks, Israel’s central bank estimated the country’s economy took a 3.5 billion shekel hit, plus nearly the same amount in damage to the tourism sector.