Air India Resumes Boeing 787 Flights To Israel

Air India has joined the list of other global carriers that have restarted operations in Israel. Earlier this month, the Indian carrier resumed services to Tel Aviv after several months of suspension. While Tel Aviv continues receiving fewer international flights than before the conflict in the region, many airlines in Europe and North America have announced or resumed operations.

Delhi-Tel Aviv flight is back

Air India’s non-stop flight between New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) resumed on March 3. Like other global carriers, Air India, too, suspended this service in 2023 due to conflict in the region.

The carrier uses its Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route, which takes a little over seven hours to complete. Flights operate three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Of course, India continues to monitor the situation in Israel and even issued an advisory recently asking Indian nationals to go to safer areas following the death of an Indian citizen from a missile attack. The Indian Embassy in Israel stated,

“In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indian nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel.”

Other carriers are gradually returning, too

Air India joins several other global carriers that have started or are planning to start services to Israel. United Airlines became the first carrier in the US to restart flights to Tel Aviv, and on March 2 and 4, it flew to Israel from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) via Munich. However, from March 6, United will operate these flights non-stop.

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

A few days ago, Air Canada became the second North American airline to announce flights to Israel and will start operations using one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners on April 8. Flight AC80 will depart Toronto at 16:44 and arrive in Tel Aviv at 09:55.

British Airways has also announced its plans to resume Tel Aviv flights from its hub at London Heathrow (LHR) but will do so on a smaller Airbus A320 aircraft with a stopover in Cyprus. The airline said it took the commercial decision to move Tel Aviv to its short-haul network and will keep this decision under review.

Photo: Plane Photography | Shutterstock

ITA Airways will also return to Israel in March with three weekly flights, while Lufthansa resumed its Tel Aviv service earlier this year using an Airbus A321 aircraft.

However, not all major carriers are in a hurry to resume these services. The demand for flights to Israel continues to be lower than in 2023, and some airlines are waiting a little longer to assess the situation. American Airlines has pushed the resumption of its Israel service to later this year, and Delta, too, will take some more time.

Related

American Airlines Pushes Tel Aviv Return To Late October

The carrier was previously planning to resume the flights in May.

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