Greek carrier Blue Bird, set to resume flights on Sunday, will be the first foreign carrier to return to Israel since the skies largely closed following the start of Operation Roaring Lion.

Several airlines have announced plans on Friday to reinstate flights to Israel in the coming weeks, with the Greek carrier Blue Bird set to resume service between Athens and Tel Aviv as early as Sunday, according to a KAN report.

With its plans for a daily flight in each direction, Blue Bird will be the first foreign carrier to return to Israel since the skies largely closed following the start of Operation Roaring Lion on February 28.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad will begin flying to Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday, according to KAN, with low-cost carrier Wizz Air planning a resumption of services to Ben-Gurion on April 25.

According to the report, Etihad will operate two daily flights in each direction on its Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv route, while Wizz Air will initially only offer flights on its Budapest-Tel Aviv service.

In addition, Czech airline Smartwings will restart regular flights to Tel Aviv from April 15, according to a Reuters report, with plans to operate seven flights per week.

Ben-Gurion Airport set to expand operations

The Israel Airports Authority and the Transport Ministry announced on Wednesday that they are examining plans to expand flight activity at Ben-Gurion following the announcement of a ceasefire with Iran.

Aviation officials have nevertheless cautioned that it could take time for full activity to resume, citing KAN as saying the continued presence of US Air Force personnel and aircraft at the airport is expected to slow the pace of a complete return to standard operations.

As a first step, authorities are reportedly focusing on increasing passenger capacity per flight, with narrow-body aircraft expected to accommodate up to 120 passengers and wide-body aircraft up to 150, with said changes potentially coming into effect next week.

Reuters contributed to this report.