United Airlines said on Wednesday (Feb. 21) that it was planning to resume its direct US flights to Israel on March 6, making it the first American carrier to resume service since the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
Specifically, one flight from Newark to Tel Aviv using Boeing 787-10 jets would be resumed first but does not plan to restart flights from other US cities until at least this autumn, The Times of Israel reported.
Restarting US carrier flights to Israel signaled the potential turning point for travel and tourism to Israel after it dried up due to security fears following the Hamas attack and the Israeli military retaliation in Gaza.
Before the nonstop trip, United would operate flights from Newark to Tel Aviv with a stopover in Munich on March 2 and 4, while return trips from Tel Aviv to Newark, also via Munich, were scheduled for March 3 and 5.
"[We] conducted a detailed safety analysis in making this decision, including close work with security experts and government officials in the United States and Israel," United said in its statement.
The Israel Airports Authority also confirmed United's announcement.
United Plans to Add More Direct Flights Soon
The company further planned to add at least another flight from Newark as soon as May while continuing to "monitor the situation in Tel Aviv and adjust the schedule as warranted,"
Prior to Oct. 7, United had four direct daily flights to Tel Aviv from Newark, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington. The airline explained that the flights where service has not yet resumed would be "evaluated for resumption" before they were green-lit.
Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Aegean, and Air France have since restarted their flights to Tel Aviv, while Delta has canceled flights to Israel through April 30 and American Airlines through October 28.
Israeli aviation officials said Delta would resume its flights on May 1, but the airline did not comment.
Last October, over 30 US lawmakers urged airlines to resume flights to Israel "as soon as possible."
