A Delta Air Lines flight from New York landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday morning, ending the carrier's absence from Israel and marking the first return of a US airline to the route since February.
The service departed John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday and arrived in Tel Aviv the following morning, operating on an Airbus A330-900neo. Delta is running the route daily, with the return leg departing Ben Gurion and reaching New York the same day.
Delta halted its Tel Aviv operations on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Announcing the restart in late August, the airline said the decision followed a review of the region's security environment and that it would continue monitoring conditions with aviation authorities and government agencies.
United Airlines is scheduled to follow on Tuesday, resuming service between Newark Liberty International Airport and Ben Gurion with two daily flights on Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The carrier has said it plans to restore Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles service this winter, with San Francisco to Tel Aviv targeted for March 28, 2027.
American Airlines has pushed its own return to the end of March 2027.
Delta's recovery is partial. Its Atlanta service remains suspended through December 18, and no restart date has been set for Boston. Until Monday, travelers seeking nonstop flights between Israel and the United States were limited to El Al and Arkia.
Fares reflect the constrained supply. Round-trip tickets for September have been running at around $2,680, with prices falling toward $1,550 by the end of October.
Ben Gurion has been fully open since April 9, following the ceasefire that ended this year's conflict with Iran, and foreign carriers have returned steadily over the summer. Lufthansa has been building toward roughly 67 flights a week from September, and KLM resumed its Amsterdam service on August 25.
Israeli carriers absorbed much of the gap. El Al, Arkia, Israir and Air Haifa have operated full schedules throughout, and Israeli airlines accounted for roughly 58 percent of passenger traffic at Ben Gurion last year, with El Al alone taking about 38 percent.
