Delta Air Lines Delays Tel Aviv Return After Extensive Security Assessment

Delta Air Lines has delayed its return to fly to Tel Aviv, Israel, after it had completed an extensive security assessment of the situation in the country following the breakout of the war in October 2023. So far, the airline has announced the resumption of the daily route between New York, the United States, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Continues monitoring the situation

On March 13th, 2024, the airline announced that it would return to the route in June, saying that it would fly between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) daily. The flights would be operated with an Airbus A330-900.

“The decision to resume the route on June 7, 2024, which was temporarily suspended in October 2023, follows an extensive security risk assessment by the airline. Delta continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners.”

Before the war, Delta Air Lines operated flights from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), and JFK, data by the aviation analytics company Cirium showed. In total, the carrier deployed 12 weekly flights to Tel Aviv: five each from Atlanta and JFK and two from Boston in October 2023.

However, in June 2023, during the peak summer travel season, it had scheduled 17 weekly flights to Tel Aviv, daily from Atlanta and JFK and three times a week from Boston. Then, Delta Air Lines utilized the A330-900 on the Boston and JFK routes, while the Airbus A350 handled the Atlanta flights.

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United Airlines spearheading return to Israel

United Airlines became the first US-based airline to return to flying to Israel, with the airline announcing its return on February 21. The carrier initially said it would operate between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Munich Airport (MUC) before continuing to Tel Aviv as a fifth freedom flight to ensure service providers are ready to support direct flights to Israel.

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

The airline’s first flight to Israel’s aviation capital departed on March 2, landing at its destination following a stop in Munich a day later. On March 6, United Airlines flight UA84 began operating directly to Tel Aviv. However, throughout the past few weeks, the flight diverted to Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) thrice and to Cairo International Airport (CAI) once.

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United Airlines Resumes Boeing 787 Flights To Israel

This marks the first US carrier to return to Tel Aviv since the conflict began in the region.

American Airlines slow return to TLV

Meanwhile, American Airlines will seemingly be the last airline to return to flying to Israel. According to current aviation analytics data from Cirium, the carrier only has scheduled flights between JFK and Tel Aviv starting November 2024.

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

The airline plans to use its Boeing 777-200s to operate daily flights between the two airports, meaning that it would be offering the fewest seats compared to its rivals on flights departing to Israel from the New York area. The schedules showed that American Airlines would deploy 1,911 seats per week, while Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have scheduled 1,967 and 4,452 weekly one-way seats, respectively, during November 2024.

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American Airlines Pushes Tel Aviv Return To Late October

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