DALLAS – United Airlines (UA) has confirmed it will not be resuming flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, next week. It was announced earlier today that the airline would resume scheduled flights between Newark Liberty Airport (EWR), New Jersey, and Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), Israel, on November 24.

Reuters reported today that UA had announced it would be restarting flights between Newark and Tel Aviv on November 24. The UA statement, which said that flights were resuming, was made in error by its public relations agency, the airline said.

United said last month that its Tel Aviv flights would remain suspended until conditions allow for the safe resumption of scheduled flights.

The US State Department issued travel advisories for the region, urging increased caution for American citizens headed to Israel and the West Bank. It advised against travel to Gaza at this time.

Flight Suspensions to Tel Aviv

Following a surprise attack by Hamas militants last month and the possibility of an escalating conflict, UA and other airlines, including American Airlines (AA) and Delta Air Lines (DL), temporarily suspended or reduced flights to or from TLV, also known as Natbag in the Hebrew language.

In normal circumstances, UA and LY operate nonstop, twice-daily EWR-TLV routes with a flight time of 11 hours and 25 minutes. UA departs from Terminal C at EWR and arrives at Terminal 3 at TLV, while LY departs from Terminal B at EWR and arrives at Terminal 3 at TLV. The distance is 5711 miles.

American suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) through December 4, and DL canceled its flights between Tel Aviv and JFK through November 21. LY clocks 10 hours and 30 minutes, and AA and DL clock 11 hours and 55 minutes to reach TLV from JFK.

The attacks by Hamas caused significant disruptions to flight operations in the Middle East. Amid numerous TLV flight cancellations, LY made the decision last month to operate commercial services on the Sabbath after a span of 41 years, facilitating the transportation of reserve soldiers back home.

American said it would monitor the situation and adjust its operations as needed, while DL has been assisting affected passengers with seats on partner airlines that have continued operating flights into Israel during the disruption. UA did not mention when its flights might resume.

Featured image: N13014 United Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. Photo: Nick Sheeder/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/el-al-fly-reservists-home-sabbath/