Why El Al is making changes to flights from Fort Lauderdale and Miami
Broward travelers who want to reach the religious sites, visit family or do business with tech companies in Israel will have to use Miami International Airport. Israel's state-owned airline says it's making changes to help focus business growth around the 305.
Starting this fall, El Al Israel Airlines will shift the two weekly flights it now operates between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport to Miami International Airport.
The changes will be gradual. The first goes into effect in late October 2025. The second will take place on April 15, 2026, the airline said.
At that point, 'El Al will cease operations at Fort Lauderdale and will concentrate all Florida-bound flights in Miami,' Simon Newton-Smith, El Al's vice president for the Americas, said in a statement sent to the Miami Herald. The blog DansDeals first reported the move from FLL to MIA.
El Al will then operate seven weekly flights between Tel Aviv and MIA — although, as customary, it won't operate on the Jewish Sabbath, sundown Friday through sundown Saturday.
The flights between Tel Aviv and FLL, Florida's third largest airport, started on April 15, 2024. Broward airport officials didn't respond to an email from the Miami Herald on Monday requesting comment and more information.
El Al growth tied to MIA
El Al said a main factor for the change: It wants a larger runway.
'The decision follows a comprehensive review of operational conditions at Fort Lauderdale, including seasonal limitations and the growing passenger traffic in the Miami area,' Newton-Smith said.
El Al flies mostly Boeing Dreamliners for international trips and has a mix of 787-9s and 787-8s, according to its website. But the airline would like to use more 787-9s to carry more people and haul more goods, as it typically does at the Miami airport. Cargo is a lucrative market.
'We are moving flights back to MIA so we can utilize larger aircraft to service more passengers and cargo,' the airline executive said. 'The company's plan is to grow the South Florida market and the longer runway will give us that capability.'
The changes are also to consolidate personnel and equipment in one place.
El Al said focusing on MIA will also broaden its reach across the U.S. as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. The airline has an agreement with Delta Air Lines where each can sell tickets for the other. Delta has a partnership with Chilean airlines LATAM that permits fliers on one carrier to earn and use frequent flier miles on the other.
Cargo market, Latin American connection at Miami airport
In 2023, LATAM began cargo routes between Miami and Brasilia and increased its Miami-Florianópolis service from two to three weekly flights. It's betting big on the Magic City. 'Our biggest cargo market is Miami,' said Martin St. George, chief commercial officer for LATAM, during an interview in 2023 with the Herald.
DHL Express and Avianca also have large cargo operations at MIA.
In 2024, MIA set a new record for cargo, receiving over 3 million tons, more than 8% higher than 2023, the fifth consecutive year it notched an increase. That included the vast majority of fresh-cut flowers the U.S. imports for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
El Al also has partnerships with Aeromexico and Aerolineas Argentinas. So, Newton-Smith said focusing on MIA would significantly expand its destination options across North and South America.
Most airlines from the United States canceled flights to and from Israel after the October 2023 attacks by Hamas, a group the United States classifies as terrorist organization, which murdered over a thousand people and took hundreds hostage. The largest cruise companies suspended stops at Israeli ports.
El Al, however, continued to fly to and from Miami and other U.S. airports.
El Al also has nonstop flights to Israel from Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport.
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