Israel’s national airline El Al announced on Tuesday an expansion of its service to the United States, starting this winter.
Deeming it a “response to growing demand” from “the business sector, Jewish and Israeli communities,” El Al said it will begin offering 42 direct flights per week reaching four key American destinations.
The enhanced service is slated to begin in late October, and will include 27 weekly flights to and from New York, six weekly flights to and from Florida, six weekly flights to and from Los Angeles and three flights per week to and from Boston. In total, the airline will offer 42 direct weekly flights to key U.S. gateways.
It is unclear whether the Florida flights include Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. El Al announced in May that it would suspend its twice-weekly flights to Ft. Lauderdale in April 2026 and instead concentrate all Florida-bound flights in Miami. One of those weekly flights is slated to move to Miami in October.
The airline had not responded to a request for clarification at time of publication.
“Through our strategic partnerships with Delta and other carriers, our passengers will enjoy seamless connections from a wide range of gateways across the United States,” El Al said of options for flights into its American hubs.
El Al profits have soared during the Israel-Hamas war, with many other airlines canceling or limited flights in and out of Tel Aviv due to what many say are dangerous conditions, though the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration never issued a warning to commercial airlines that it was unsafe to fly to Israel.
El Al has continued flights at all points during the war, except for the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict in June, when Jerusalem shut down all of the country’s airspace.
On Tuesday, United Airlines announced that it will resume flights to Israel in two weeks, becoming the first U.S. carrier to renew service to Tel Aviv since the war with Iran.
The Chicago-based carrier said it will restart daily nonstop service from its Newark hub to Tel Aviv starting on July 21, and will operate two daily flights on the route from the next day.
United’s chief rival, Delta Air Lines, is set to renew service from New York to Tel Aviv on Sept. 1. It could also move up its flights to Israel in the wake of United’s move.
In contrast to its two competitors, American Airlines has stayed away entirely from Israel for nearly two years.
On Monday, Air France became the first major European carrier to resume flights to Tel Aviv, with Madrid’s Air Europa next in line to renew service to Israel on July 15. The German flag carrier Lufthansa is due to restart flights to Israel on Aug. 1.
The European Aviation Authority on Monday canceled its recommendation to avoid flying to the Jewish state. Israeli transportation ministry officials voiced the hope that the move would expedite the return of European airlines to Israel, most of which are only due to resume service to Israel this fall.
