United Airlines is preparing to relaunch its non-stop service between Newark and Tel Aviv for the second time on May 3 as the threat of war wanes following the massive Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel earlier this month.
In March, United became the first and so far only US airline to resume flights to Israel following the October 7 terror attack.
The airline is said to have been operating flights at capacity in both directions and had been looking to add a second daily flight to take advantage of strong demand, especially following the Passover holiday.
Unlike other international airlines that have resumed flights to Israel, United took the decision to layover its pilots and flight attendants in Tel Aviv. The decision was taken so as to avoid a technical stop for a crew changeover in a nearby foreign country such as Greece.
As a result, the flight to and from Newark is truly non-stop, significantly reducing travel times and therefore commanding a premium over other non-direct routes to Israel from the United States.
But when Iran launched its first-ever direct offensive on Israel, United aircrew were staying in Israel, and they had to be evacuated out of harm’s way. Other airlines had to be used to get these crew out of Israel because United cancelled flights to the country for a second time.
In contrast, British Airways resumed flights to Tel Aviv just days after the Iranian missile attack, safe in the knowledge that pilots and cabin crew would not be staying overnight in Israel as they operate with a technical stop in Larnaca to change over crews.
In a statement, a spokesperson for United told us that the airline continues to “closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on upcoming flights with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews.”
A second scheduled daily service between Newark and Tel Aviv is expected to start on May 19.
