United has announced plans to resume nonstop service from the U.S. to Tel Aviv. The Chicago-based airline becomes the first U.S. carrier to announce the resumption of service to Israel following the Israel-Hamas war that broke out in October 2023.
As part of its service resumption plans, the airline will operate initial flights from its Newark hub starting on March 2 and March 4, 2024. These first flights will stop in Munich to ‘ensure all service providers are ready to support non-stop service to and from Newark/’
The airline is aiming to resume daily nonstop service from Newark to Tel Aviv on March 6. United says it conducted a ‘detailed safety analysis’ in making the decision to resume operations.
In a press release, the airline adds that it is ‘eager’ to add a second daily flight from Newark to Tel Aviv as early as May 2024. Its previous service from San Francisco, Washington Dulles, and Chicago O’Hare will be evaluated for service resumptions starting in the fall, the airline says.
Prior to the war, United operated up to eight daily flights between its U.S. hubs and Tel Aviv, according to Cirium Diio schedule data. A handful of airlines have recently announced plans to scale up their Israel flights, including Lufthansa which is planning up to 20 weekly flights or 30% of pre-conflict levels.
