United Airlines to Resume Flights to Israel Ahead of Schedule
The American airline, United Airlines, has announced that it will restart its route between Ben Gurion Airport and New York on July 21, earlier than previously planned. This comes after the airline had canceled flights to Israel through the end of July due to IDF strikes in Iran.
Initially, the airline will operate two daily flights on this route, competing with El Al and Arkia. Round-trip tickets on the company’s website start at $1,241 for travel between July 23 and 30.
The decision to resume flights comes about two weeks after the war with Iran ended. The European Aviation Authority lifted all flight restrictions to Israel, following the removal of travel warnings by several key countries over the past week. The United States has also lowered its travel advisory for Israel from level 4 to 3, while the UK Foreign Office has marked Israel’s map green, lifting its travel warning to pre-war status.
The reopening of Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion Airport on August 1 will enable low-cost carriers to gradually resume full operations in Israel. Some airlines have already restarted flights, including Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Bluebird Airways, Hainan Airlines, Tus Airways, Azerbaijan Airlines, Red Wings, and FlyOne.
Others are planning to return soon, such as Air Europa and LOT on July 14, Air Seychelles on August 1, and the Lufthansa Group (which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings) gradually resuming flights from August 1.
However, some carriers have canceled flights for extended periods, including Air India until August 31, ITA Airways until July 31, Delta Air Lines until August 31, British Airways until October 25, Air Canada with no resumption date, easyJet until October 25, Ryanair until October 25, Air Bulgaria until July 20, Air Baltic until September 30, and Aegean Airlines, Iberia, and Iberia Express until October 25.
The earlier return of airlines such as United and Wizz Air reflects a sense of cautious optimism in Israel’s aviation sector, buoyed by eased international restrictions. However, the staggered resumption and prolonged cancellations by major carriers highlight the lingering impact of recent conflicts on global confidence in travel to the region.
The reopening of Terminal 1 will be a critical step in restoring full connectivity, especially for budget airlines. However, the uneven pace of recovery exemplifies the challenges of finding a balance between security concerns and economic imperatives in the aviation industry.