United Airlines Resumes Tel Aviv Flights from Newark
United Airlines restarts Newark-Tel Aviv service on September 8, with three more U.S. Hubs to follow. Delta has also resumed flights, while American Airlines and United's Dubai service face longer delays.
United Airlines will resume nonstop flights between Newark and Tel Aviv on September 8. This marks the carrier's first service to Israel since the Iran War began in late February 2026.
The restart begins with a double-daily Newark-Tel Aviv flight. United plans to expand the service to three more of its hub airports in the coming months.
Expanded U.S. Hub Service
The airline has scheduled new routes from Chicago, Washington, and San Francisco. Both the Chicago and Washington start dates were moved forward by one week.
| Hub | Route Start Date |
|---|---|
| Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Tel Aviv (TLV) | October 24, 2026 |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) to Tel Aviv (TLV) | October 25, 2026 |
| San Francisco (SFO) to Tel Aviv (TLV) | March 28, 2027 |
From November 2, United also intends to add a third daily flight from its Newark hub to Tel Aviv.
Delta Returns, American Holds Back
Delta Air Lines resumed non-stop service from New York JFK to Tel Aviv on Sunday. The Atlanta-based carrier said the decision followed a "thorough review of the evolving security environment." Delta stated that safety is its top priority and it will continue monitoring the situation with authorities.
Delta has not announced plans to restart its Atlanta-Tel Aviv route. A planned new Boston-Tel Aviv service was previously pushed back to late October at the earliest.
American Airlines has not flown to Israel since October 2023. The airline says it will not restart flights before early 2027 and has not provided a concrete return date.
New Competition for El Al
Until now, Israeli flag carrier El Al held a virtual monopoly on nonstop flights between Israel and the United States. The airline was accused of price gouging earlier this year, a charge it denied.
Competition is set to increase next month. Israeli low-cost airline Israir will launch flights between Tel Aviv and New York for the first time in over 16 years. Israir first applied for U.S. Approval in March 2025 but did not secure it until last month. The airline has acquired two ex-American Airlines Airbus A330 aircraft for the service.
Dubai Service Remains Suspended
While United resumes Tel Aviv flights, its nonstop service to Dubai remains suspended. Aviation insider JonNYC reports that United's daily Newark-Dubai flight will not restart until March 27, 2027, at the earliest.
The extended delay for Dubai is attributed to simple geography. Dubai is much closer to Iran and is therefore considered at greater risk from drone and missile attacks. Local officials have reported very few recent attacks, with any incursions aimed at territorial waters rather than the city itself.
