United Airlines resumed double-daily nonstop service between Newark (EWR) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on September 8 — the carrier’s first flights to Israel since the Iran War began in late February 2026. The return marks a broader reopening of the US-Israel market after more than six months of suspension by multiple carriers.
United is expanding its Israel network over the coming months. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) service starts October 24, Washington Dulles (IAD) follows on October 25, and San Francisco (SFO) comes online March 28, 2027. Both the Chicago and Dulles launches were moved up by a week from earlier-announced dates. Starting November 2, United adds a third daily frequency from Newark.
Delta Air Lines beat United back to Tel Aviv, with its first JFK-TLV flight touching down on Monday morning — the airline’s first landing in Israel in over five months. Delta said the decision followed a “thorough review of the evolving security environment in the region.” The Atlanta hub remains without a restart date, and a planned Boston-Tel Aviv launch has been pushed to late October at the earliest.
American Airlines has not flown to Israel since the October 7, 2023 attacks and has not announced a specific return date. The carrier says flights will not restart before early 2027.
The reopening matters beyond schedule recovery. El Al has operated what amounted to a near-monopoly on US-Israel nonstop flying throughout the suspension period and was accused earlier this year of price gouging — a charge the airline denied. Renewed competition from US majors, combined with the return of additional Israeli carriers, changes that dynamic directly.
Israir, an Israeli low-cost carrier, is set to enter the New York–Tel Aviv market next month for the first time in more than 16 years. The airline secured two ex-American Airlines Airbus A330s for the route. Israir filed its DOT application in March 2025 and received approval only last month.
United’s Dubai route tells a different story. Newark-Dubai service remains suspended until at least March 27, 2027, according to reporting by aviation insider JonNYC. The extended delay reflects Dubai’s geographic proximity to Iran and the associated risk from drone and missile activity. Officials have reported few recent attacks on the city itself, with incursions focused on territorial waters, but the calculus for overflying that corridor differs sharply from the Tel Aviv routing.
