Delta Air Lines announced on Friday that it will resume service to Tel Aviv from Atlanta and Boston next year, expanding its service to Israel beyond the New York area for the first time since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, amid rising post-war demand.
The move highlights both the resurgence of the Israeli aviation sector and the re-emergence of Tel Aviv as an international travel hub.
The Atlanta-based carrier said it will operate three weekly nonstop flights to Ben-Gurion International Airport from its world headquarters in Atlanta beginning April 15, followed by daily service from its Boston hub on Oct. 24.
Delta already resumed daily flights to Tel Aviv from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in September and will run two daily flights from New York for seven weeks, starting on Nov. 30, for the winter holiday season.
“I want to thank Delta for resuming nonstop service between Atlanta and Tel Aviv, providing a direct connection between the State of Georgia and one of our strongest allies,” Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, said in a statement. “This flight is important to so many in our state, further strengthening the cultural and economic ties between Georgia and Israel.”
Delta’s move comes on the heels of an announcement by chief rival United Airlines that it is resuming service this weekend to Tel Aviv from Chicago and Washington, D.C., in addition to its twice-daily flights from Newark, N.J., cementing United’s long-held position as the U.S. carrier with the most flights to Israel.
American Airlines announced last week that it will resume flying to Israel in March, becoming the final U.S. legacy carrier to renew service to Tel Aviv after the ceasefire in Gaza was put into place on Oct. 10.
