[REVISION HISTORY]

International airlines resuming flights to Israel

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-10 02:44 UTC → 2026-09-14 13:46 UTC · added ~~removed~~

International airlines are continuing to resume scheduled services to Israel following suspensions caused by regional conflict. Delta Air Lines has officially restarted regular operations, with its first flight from New York’s JFK airport landing at Ben Gurion International Airport in early September 2026. Delta is also expected to resume service from Atlanta in December. United Airlines is resuming service from Newark Liberty International Airport this week, with additional flights from Chicago and Washington, D.C. planned for October. While Delta has marketed attractive fares, industry observers note that United has maintained high pricing for the remainder of 2026. United Airlines is currently operating two daily round-trip flights between Newark and Ben Gurion Airport, with plans to increase this to three daily flights starting in November. Beyond passenger service, shipping data indicates United is resuming the transport of military hardware to Israel aboard these passenger flights. ~~Records show~~ Research analyzed by The Intercept suggests that passenger flights are being used to carry shipments destined for ~~various~~ defense contractors. Data indicates that between July 2025 and February 2026, United reportedly carried 2,761 military-related shipments across 160 passenger flights, including components for F-35 fighter jets and armored vehicles. A significant portion of this cargo, totaling 2,070 shipments, was destined for Elbit Systems ~~facilities, including locations~~ or its subsidiaries. Specific recent shipments have been identified as destined for Elbit Systems’ electro-optics division in Rehovot, Elbit Systems Land in Ramat Hasharon, and ~~Karmiel, with at~~ a facility in Karmiel. At least one shipment ~~labeled as ‘FMS’ (foreign military sales). This represents a return to previous practices~~ was marked ‘FMS’, signifying it was part of ~~transporting military cargo via civilian routes. Competition is intensifying on~~ the New York to Tel Aviv route. Following a period where only two Israeli carriers provided nonstop travel, five airlines are now expected to compete. Delta is utilizing Airbus A330-900neo aircraft for its daily nonstop service from JFK, while U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. United has resumed Newark–Tel Aviv operations with two daily flights using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Israeli carriers El Al and Arkia continue to operate on the route, with Arkia providing year-round nonstop service from JFK six days a week using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners Airlines, Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, and ~~Airbus A330-300s. Israir is also expected to enter the New York market starting September 16.~~ Israel’s Ministry of Defense have not provided comments regarding these findings.

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