Delta Air Lines has announced it will resume daily nonstop services between New York-JFK (JFK) and Tel Aviv (TLV) in Israel in the summer of 2024. From June 7, 2024, the carrier will serve the route daily using Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. The reinstatement of flights between the two cities will provide an additional 2,000 weekly seats from New York to Israel, according to the carrier.
The airline has stated that the decision to resume the route, which was temporarily suspended in October 2023 following the Hamas attacks on northern Israel, follows an “extensive security risk assessment”. The carrier added that it will “continue to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners.”
In recent months, Delta has strengthened its presence in Israel through a codeshare agreement signed with EL AL Israel Airlines. Through the terms of the agreement, Delta customers have had access to EL AL’s direct services to Tel Aviv from several major US cities such as New York-JFK, New York-Newark (EWR), Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
The new flights are being seen by the airline as complimenting the codeshare agreement with EL Al. As demand for travel to Israel has slowly clawed its way back since the attacks in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Delta feels that demand is such that an additional direct daily flight using its own equipment is now warranted.
The new flights are scheduled to leave New York at 23:40 and arrive in Tel Aviv the following day at 17:35 (flight DL234). The return flight departs Tel Aviv at 23:55 and arrives the following morning at 05:10 (DL235).
The 5,677-mile (9,083km) flight is scheduled to take 10 hours and 55 minutes eastbound to Tel Aviv and 12 hours and 15 min westbound back to New York. The airline will deploy 281-seat Airbus A330-900neos on the route. Delta currently operates a total fleet of 27 A330-900s, each of which features 29 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, 56 extra legroom economy seats, and 168 economy seats.
The move by Delta follows in the footsteps of United Airlines, who resumed services between New York and Tel Aviv earlier in March 2024. The Star Alliance member became the first US airline to return to operating direct services to Israel since the October attacks. While March 2, 2024, saw the carrier restart Israel services with a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Tel Aviv via Munich, Germany (MUC). However, on March 6, 2024, the airline resumed a daily nonstop service direct to the Israeli capital.
All three big US carriers, United, American, and Delta, paused their operations to Israel last year. Although United and Delta have now both announced the resumption of services and despite the demand existing in the highly lucrative US-to-Israel market, American Airlines is yet to show its hand regarding when it might restart its own flights.