United to resume flights from New York to Tel Aviv on July 21; Wizz also to return
US carrier originally said flights would be paused until at least July 31 due to war with Iran; low-cost carrier Wizz also expected to resume flights to Larnaca, Budapest on Aug. 8
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
United Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would resume flight services from New York to Tel Aviv with a single flight starting on July 21, 10 days earlier than it previously planned.
The US airline said it would restart its second daily flight between the two cities the following day. Ticket sales for United flights to and from Tel Aviv were made available for purchase on the US carrier’s website on Tuesday.
Hungary-based low-cost airline Wizz Air is also expected to bring forward to August 8 the resumption of flight services to and from Tel Aviv, following discussions between Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Wizz CEO József Váradi.
The low-cost carrier will initially launch flights from Tel Aviv to Larnaca and Budapest and will begin selling tickets on Wednesday. More destinations will be added later.
In a statement on Tuesday, United said “the resumption of service to Tel Aviv reflects United’s longstanding commitment to the Israeli market.”
“Through 2025, United operated more flights to Tel Aviv than any other US airline,” said the airline.
United and Wizz — and all other airlines — halted flight services to and from Tel Aviv after Israel’s airspace was closed on June 13 with the outbreak of the war with Iran, which ended 12 days later with a US-brokered ceasefire. The flight suspension left tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad.
United said at the start of the war that it would pause its service to Tel Aviv through at least July 31. The restoration of service reflects the improved flying environment following the truce.
“Any decision by United to operate flights to Tel Aviv is made after a thorough assessment of operational considerations in the region, and in close coordination with our flight attendants and pilot unions,” United said.
Israel reopened its airspace about two weeks ago, but many European and US airlines have yet to announce a resumption date for flight operations to and from Tel Aviv, including British Airways, Delta, easyJet and Ryanair.
French carrier Air France resumed nonstop flights between Ben Gurion and Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport on July 7. The Lufthansa group is expected to restart services on August 1.
United had also said it would suspend daily service between Newark and Dubai. The company did not immediately reply to a query on the status of that service.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have also suspended service to Middle Eastern destinations. Neither responded immediately to AFP queries.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.