Delta Air Lines to Resume Israel Flights in Spring

DALLAS — On April 1, Delta Air Lines (DL) will resume daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv (TLV) from New York (JFK). 

The airline will operate its Airbus A330-900, offering nearly 2,000 weekly seats. It will be the first US carrier to resume nonstop flights between NYC and Tel Aviv since July 2024, when tensions between Israel and Iran forced US airlines to halt flights due to security concerns.

“Delta’s decision to resume service follows a comprehensive security review, conducted in close coordination with government and private-sector partners,” the Atlanta-based carrier said of its decision to resume flights to Israel. DL emphasizes that the safety of its customers and crew is always prioritized and has implemented additional precautions for operations to and from Tel Aviv.

Delta has also increased its presence in Israel through a codeshare agreement with EL AL Israel Airlines (LY). The partnership enables Delta customers to book EL AL’s nonstop flights to Tel Aviv from major U.S. cities such as New York, Newark (EWR), Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), and Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

Delta’s announcement comes just days after the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Delta’s pilots and flight attendants will stay overnight in Tel Aviv between flights. This allows overnight service and eliminates the need to stop for a crew change in a nearby country such as Cyprus or Greece.

This announcement makes it likely that competitor United (UA) will soon plan a return to the route. However, American Airlines (AA) says it doesn’t plan to return to Tel Aviv until mid-2025 at the earliest.

Last week, Europe’s Lufthansa Group (LH) announced that it would restart flights to Tel Aviv at the beginning of February. However, its pilots and flight attendants will not stay overnight in Israel. 

Other airlines that have already announced route restarts to Israel include Air France (AF), British Airways (BA), EasyJet (US), and Wizz Air (W6). Israeli budget carrier Arkia (IZ) intends to launch thrice-weekly flights to New York next month.

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