US airline United Airlines is expected to resume flights to Israel in February, according to industry sources. United stated in response, "Our flights to Tel Aviv remain suspended at this stage," but it is believed that the probable date for the resumption of service is February 22. At present, it is not possible to buy tickets for flights to and from Tel Aviv on the airline’s booking system.
In normal times, United operated 28 weekly flights from Tel Aviv: 14 to New York, and the rest to various destinations in the US, among them Chicago, Washington, and San Francisco. On October 7 2023, the company suspended its activity in Israel, renewing it in March 2024 with just seven weekly flights to New York. Following the Iranian attack on Israel in April, a further wave of flight cancellations began, which United joined, but it returned to Israel shortly afterwards, in June. The company continued to operate until the end of July, but then the escalation of fighting in the north led it to announce that it was suspending service until further notice.
If it does resume operations in Israel, United will join Lufthansa Group, Air India, Air France, and British Airways, which have already given dates for the resumption of their flights.
Earlier this week, US Senator Ted Cruz claimed that US airlines would resume flying to Israel within thirty days. In an interview in Washington, Cruz declared that in his opinion the suspension of flights was politically motivated rather than being for security reasons. He said that the airline employee unions were involved, particularly the flight attendants union, which had expressed anti-Israel views. Cruz, who is designated to become chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, said he could take steps to ensure the resumption of flights, and that the matter would be resolved by the end of February.
United competitor Delta has said in the past that it will not resume Israel flights before April 1, 2025, but it is now considering bringing the move forward. Tickets are available for Delta flights to and from Israel from April onwards, but since the airline has not officially announced that it will in fact begin operating again from the presumed date, travelers are hesitant about booking.
There is optimism in the industry that Delta’s return will take place at least as planned, in April. Before the war, American Airlines was also active in Israel, but it has announced that its service will remain suspended until further notice.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 23, 2025.
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