United Airlines, said on Wednesday it plans to resume direct U.S. flights to Israel early next month, becoming the first American carrier to resume service since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel.
Chicago-based United said it will resume flights from Newark to Tel Aviv next month but does not plan to restart flights from other US cities until at least this fall. Earlier, United, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, all suspended US service to Israel in October following the attack.
“United plans to resume a daily flight from New York/Newark to Tel Aviv, the first step in restoring vital passenger and cargo service that was suspended in October. The initial Newark-Tel Aviv flights on March 2 and 4 will stop in Munich to ensure all service providers are ready to support non-stop service to and from Newark,” the airline said in a statement on Thursday.
Restarting US carrier flights to Tel Aviv signals a potential turning point for travel to Israel, after tourism dried up on security fears following the Hamas attack and subsequent Israel bombardment of Gaza. In the statement, United said its goal is to resume daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv starting March 6 from Newark on a Boeing 787-10.
On March 2 and March 4, the airline said it will operate flights from Newark to Tel Aviv with a stop in Munich, Germany, with return flights from Israel to Newark on March 3 and March 5. United said it “conducted a detailed safety analysis in making this decision, including close work with security experts and government officials in the United States and Israel.”
It said it “will continue to monitor the situation in Tel Aviv and adjust the schedule as warranted, including changes to the resumed service from New York/Newark announced today.” Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Aegean, and Air France, are among other airlines that have restarted flights to Tel Aviv.
(With agency inputs)
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