EL AL Israel Airlines on Tuesday announced its largest-ever summer schedule in North America, featuring up to 55 weekly flights from the United States as part of a broader global expansion that will include about 900 weekly flights from more than 50 gateways worldwide.

The expanded schedule reflects strong demand across the airline’s core markets and marks a milestone for EL AL, which for the first time will operate 55 weekly flights from North America. The U.S. market remains a strategic priority for the airline, officials said.

As part of the expansion, EL AL will add three additional weekly flights from the New York area, split between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. During peak periods, the airline will offer up to seven daily flights from the New York metropolitan area. Service from Miami will also increase by one weekly flight.

Growth will extend beyond North America, with expanded service planned across Europe and Asia.

In Asia, EL AL will add two weekly flights to Bangkok, bringing total service to Thailand — including Bangkok and Phuket — to 16 weekly flights. The airline’s Tokyo route, which transitioned to year-round service in early 2024, will increase to as many as five weekly flights during peak season and will be operated using EL AL’s largest Dreamliner aircraft.

Europe will see significant growth, led by Italy. Rome and Milan will each increase to 17 weekly flights, while Venice will be served five times a week. EL AL’s leisure subsidiary, Sundor, will launch a new route to Naples with three weekly flights.

Additional European expansion includes increased capacity to Amsterdam, with all morning flights operated by wide-body aircraft; expanded service to Portugal with six weekly flights from Lisbon and two from Porto; higher frequencies to Budapest, with 14 weekly flights, and Munich, with up to 11 weekly flights. Service to Paris and London will remain robust, with 27 and 22 weekly flights, respectively.

“The new summer schedule is a clear expression of our strategic plan, which focuses on strengthening and expanding core gateways while continuously exploring growth opportunities for new routes,” said Shlomi Zafrany, EL AL’s vice president for commercial and industry affairs.

“We are attentive to the demands of travelers coming to Israel and are broadening our response to needs in the U.S., Europe and the Far East. Further development of our route network remains a top priority.”

The summer schedule is set to begin in the coming months, with peak operations expected during the height of the travel season.

Featured image credited to Boeing