Scandinavian Airlines announced Thursday it will resume flights to Israel this fall, restarting service from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv for the first time in nine and a half years.
The carrier, known as SAS, said the new route will launch Oct. 26, 2025, with three flights a week. The company suspended its Israel operations in 2016 and has not flown to the country since.
SAS is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and the largest airline in Scandinavia, operating out of hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. It serves more than 125 destinations in Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia.
The airline’s return adds fresh competition on the Israel–Copenhagen route. Israeli carriers stopped flying to the Danish capital several years ago, and this summer the only nonstop service was offered by Flyyo, with round-trip fares running about $800. SAS said an October 26–30 round-trip ticket from Tel Aviv to Copenhagen would start at 312 euros ($340) with only a backpack included, not a carry-on suitcase.
The move is part of a broader trend of foreign airlines gradually resuming flights to Israel following the end of hostilities with Iran. Lufthansa Group carriers — including Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — have reinstated daily service from Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna to Tel Aviv. Air Europa has resumed its Madrid route with six weekly flights, and AirBaltic plans to relaunch service from Riga on Sept. 4.