After Israel Reopened its Airspace Yesterday (Apr. 14), El Al Today Inaugurated Its Regularly Scheduled Service Between Tel Aviv and Fort Lauderdale
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida) Approximately 36 hours after Israel reopened its airspace - which had previously been closed for 31 hours, from 12:30am local time (5:30am EST, 9.30 GMT) on Saturday, April 13 until 7:30am local time (12:30am EST, 4.30 GMT) on Sunday, April 14, as a result of Iran’s weekend drone and missile attack on Israel - Israel’s flagship carrier, El Al Airlines Ltd. (TLV: ELAL), today (Apr. 15) launched the first of its inaugural regularly scheduled flights from Ben Gurion Airport (IATA: TLV; ICAO: LLBG) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport(IATA: FLL, ICAO: KFLL, FAA LID: FLL).
Photo of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue giving a water salute to El Al Israel Airlines at FLL Airport today (Apr. 15), during its celebration of the inauguration of year-round service between Tel Aviv and Fort Lauderdale, courtesy of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's account on X, @FLLFlyer.
A full flight of an estimated 240 passengers on an El Al-operated Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737 docked at Fort Lauderdale’s Terminal 4 at 4:29pm, according to The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Upon the El Al aircraft’s arrival in Broward County, the first flight on the new TLV <—> FLL route was given a water canon salute from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.
The aircraft was scheduled to make its eastbound run back to Israel at 6:30pm EST, per The Sun Sentinel.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport’s X account, @FLLFlyer, posted earlier this evening: “Congratulations to our airline partner @ELALUSA on the official launch of year-round service from #FLL to #BenGurionAirport #TLV, Israel.”
Photo of the celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony upon the landing of El Al Airlines' inaugral flight from Tel Aviv to Fort Lauderdale at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) today (Apr. 15), courtesy of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's account on X, @FLLFlyer.
Per The Sun Sentinel, just last week, El Al’s launch of regular twice-a-week service from Tel Aviv to Fort Lauderdale appeared in doubt as Iran’s government engaged in discussions about retaliating against Israel for Israel’s alleged strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Damascus, Syria earlier this month. The previous discussions became a reality this past Saturday, April, 13th, as more than 300 missiles and drones from Iran, most of which were intercepted by air defenses, were launched at Israel.
Ben Gurion’s website currently maintains an advisory message which reads that the airport Is working as planned, including departures and landings.
Ben Gurion Airport's website currently maintains an advisory message which reads that the airport is working as planned; photo courtesy of Ben Gurion Airport.
According to Local10.com, officials said the recent attacks on Israel by Iran did not impact the launch of today’s inaugural flights, and that there is a large demand for flights to Tel Aviv from Fort Lauderdale.
On April 11th, the U.S. State Department updated its travel advisories forIsrael, the West Bank and Gaza, urging people to “Reconsider Travel” to Israel and to the West Bank due to “terrorism and civil unrest.” The department also maintained its “Do Not Travel” advisory for Gaza, citing “terrorism and armed conflict.”