Air India announced on Tuesday that it will resume flights to Israel in January.
The Indian flag carrier will offer five weekly nonstop flights from Delhi to Tel Aviv starting on Jan. 1.
The six-hour flights, which will run Sundays through Thursdays, will fly over Saudi Arabia and Oman shortening travel time.
Like most foreign carriers, Air India suspended flights to Israel after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and had only made brief returns to Tel Aviv over the last two years amid regional tensions.
Tuesday’s announcement came as Israel’s foreign minister was in New Delhi for a meeting with his Indian counterpart.
The two countries maintain strong bilateral ties, with the resumption of direct flights keenly awaited by the hi-tech sector.
“Air India’s return to Israel bodes well for the industry and should snag a large market share which today is held by [connecting flights with] Fly Dubai, Emirates and Etihad,” Mark Feldman, CEO of Jerusalem’s Ziontours, told JNS. “The market to India is huge, but we need more airlines flying there to make it competitive.”
Israel’s national carrier, El Al, has not flown to India since 2020, when it cancelled flights to Mumbai during the COVID pandemic, leaving Israeli travelers to the popular destination without a direct line for most of the last five years.
Israel has asked Oman for permission to cross its airspace again, which will reduce travel time for Israeli carriers on flights to India and the Far East by two hours. Oman, which granted Israeli carriers such permission in early 2023, rescinded it after the outbreak of the war against Hamas in Gaza later that year.
Meanwhile, Italy’s ITA Airlines is also due to resume service to Tel Aviv on Jan. 1, with twice daily flights from Rome.
American Airlines is returning to Israel in March, becoming the last U.S. legacy carrier to renew flights to Tel Aviv, long after its rivals United and Delta, who are flying heavily sold flights to the New York area and beyond.
The ever-increasing number of flights on foreign carriers flying to and from Tel Aviv has finally brought down airfares, which have remained stubbornly high over the last two years as El Al had a virtual monopoly on flights.
More than 60 foreign carriers are now flying to Tel Aviv compared to 80 two years ago, before the war, according to the Israel Airport Authority.
