(NewsNation) — Delta announced it would be resuming flights to Israel starting Friday, making it the second U.S. airline to do so after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.
“The decision to resume the route on June 7, 2024, which was temporarily suspended in October 2023, follows an extensive security risk assessment by the airline. Delta continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners,” the company said in a news release.
Delta is set to resume daily, nonstop service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Tel Aviv (TLV) on Friday.
Customers will also have access to Israeli EL AL’s direct service to Tel Aviv from major U.S. cities including, New York-Newark, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Delta first announced it would resume flights to Israel on March 13. United Airlines restarted its service from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv on March 6. This came after Germany’s Lufthansa decided to resume flights to Israel.
Restarting U.S. carrier flights to Tel Aviv signals a potential turning point for travel to Israel, after tourism dried up on security fears following the Hamas rampage and subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Before Oct. 7, United had four direct flights daily to Tel Aviv from Newark, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago. The airline said the flights where service has not yet resumed “will be evaluated for resumption beginning in the fall.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
