Delta Air Lines is set to become the first US carrier to resume non-stop flights between New York and Tel Aviv since July 2024, when escalating tensions between Israel and Iran prompted Delta and United Airlines to quickly nix flights over security concerns.
In a statement, the airline said it plans to restart its popular New York JFK to Tel Aviv service on April 1, initially as a once-daily flight. The announcement comes just days after a long-awaited ceasefire started between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“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.
Without going into details, a spokesperson added: “The airline continues to prioritize the safety of its customers and crews and has implemented additional precautions for operations to and from Tel Aviv.”
It is understood that Delta’s pilots and flight attendants will be staying overnight in Tel Aviv between flights, allowing the service to resume as a non-stop flight rather than adding a technical stop for a crew change in a nearby third country such as Cyprus or Greece.
Following the Hamas terror atrocities in October 2023, Delta quickly suspended flights to Israel but eventually returned to the country in June 2024. Less than two months later, however, threats of an all-out war between Israel and Iran, as well as escalating tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon, quickly halted flights yet again.
In response, Democrat New York Congressman Ritchie Torres accused Delta, as well as American Airlines and United, of “effectively boycotting” Israel over their decision to impose open-ended route suspensions.
Since August 2024, no US airline has served Israel, and major carriers like Delta have remained tight-lipped over when flights might resume. It’s likely that United will follow the lead of Delta, but American Airlines says it doesn’t plan to return to Tel Aviv until mid-2025 at the earliest.
Last week, Europe’s Lufthansa Group, which includes the namesake Lufthansa brand, as well as Austrian Airlines and SWISS, said it would restart flights to Tel Aviv at the start of February.
Lufthansa Group airlines will not, however, have pilots or flight attendants stay overnight in Israel, at least initially. Other airlines that have already announced route restarts to Israel include Air France, British Airways, EasyJet, and Wizz Air.
