United Airlines to be First US Carrier to Resume Flights to Israel

JERUSALEM:
United Airlines will be the first US carrier to resume flights to Israel, the Israel Airports Authority confirmed on Wednesday in a statement.

The carrier announced Tuesday that it will resume service from Newark’s Liberty International Airport to Israel’s Tel Aviv on March 15 and add a second daily flight starting March 29.

“United is pleased to announce plans to restart New York/Newark to Tel Aviv service on March 15, with a second daily flight planned to begin March 29. This resumption follows a detailed assessment of operational considerations for the region and close work with the unions who represent our flight attendants and pilots. The flights will be operated on Boeing 787-10s,” read a statement issued by the company.

“United has a longstanding commitment to serving Tel Aviv, and this return will make United the first US airline to resume service this year,” it added.

In late January, US carrier Delta Air Lines said it will restart daily nonstop service from New York to Tel Aviv on April 1.

Both US carriers temporarily suspended their flights to Tel Aviv in late July last year amid heightening tensions in the Middle East region.

Israel’s flag carrier El Al has been the only airline operating direct flights between Israel and the United States since August 2024.

Israel’s second-largest airline Arkia will launch direct flights from Tel Aviv to New York starting Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Several European airlines, including Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have recently resumed flights to Israel.

Also on Wednesday, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics said Israel’s tourist arrivals in January rose 34.5 per cent year-on-year, reaching 78,800, yet much lower than the 257,400 tourist arrivals in January 2023.