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US carrier Delta is the latest airline to resume flight services to Israel, months after major operators around the world suspended operations in light of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
In a statement on its website, Delta stated it would resume daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv from New York-JFK from June 7, operating the route on an Airbus A330-900 Neo that will provide customers “with nearly 2,000 weekly seats from New York to Israel.”
Delta further stated the resumption of services follows “an extensive security risk assessment by the airline,” while adding that it would continue to monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners.
Delta is the second major US carrier to return to Israel, with United also resuming its services earlier this month with a daily flight from New York/Newark to Tel Aviv, which the airline said was “the first step in restoring vital passenger and cargo service that was suspended in October.”
In the UAE, flydubai and the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways are also operating flight services to Tel Aviv, while flights on Emirates remain suspended.
An Emirates spokesperson routed a Zawya query to the airline’s operational update on its official website, which states the carrier is “closely monitoring the situation in Israel and are in close contact with the relevant authorities.”
According to Reuters, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Aegean and Air France are also among other airlines that have restarted flights to Tel Aviv, while carriers such as American Airlines and Turkish Airlines remained suspended.
The normalising of flight services comes months after the conflict between Israel and Gaza escalated on October 7, with Reuters reporting the death toll in Gaza reaching 31,200, citing Palestinian health authorities.
(Writing by Bindu Rai, editing by Brinda Darasha)
