Delta Air to Resume Flights to Israel on June 7

Delta Air Lines will resume nonstop flights to Israel in June, the US company announced on Wednesday evening.

“Delta will resume daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv (TLV) from New York-JFK this summer, operating the route on an Airbus A330-900neo that will provide customers with nearly 2,000 weekly seats from New York to Israel,” the airline giant said in a statement. The announcement came a week after the company said an earlier plan for a May 1 return would be postponed until further notice.

The flights to Israel will return on June 7, eight months after Delta canceled flights to the Jewish state shortly following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel due to the ensuing war in Gaza. Delta said it will continue to “closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners.”

In its statement, the airline also mentioned a new partnership with Israel’s national air carrier, El Al. This partnership, which was announced months ago, will allow code-sharing for Delta and El Al customers in trips around the world.

Despite the Delta announcement, most major international airlines are still not flying to Israel due to the war in Gaza, with most of them suspending their routes in the early days of the conflict.

Airlines such as Air France and Etihad Airways, among others, have resumed flights to Israel, though with fewer than before the war. The lack of international options has burdened Israelis due to rising costs, in some cases 50-100 percent more expensive than before Oct. 7.

The Delta announcement came on the same day that low-cost European airliner Ryanair, which is one of the most popular airlines with Israelis due to its cheap fares, said it will not resume flights until at least the end of Oct. 2024.

Between the lack of flights and general fear by many people to fly to Israel, entries into the country are down substantially compared to years past. For example, January 2024 saw 59,000 tourists enter the country versus 271,000 in the same month last year.

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