United to Resume Flights to Tel Aviv in March — What to Know
22.02.2024 - 15:59
/ travelandleisure.com
/ Airlines
United Airlines will resume flights to Israel this spring for the first time in months, becoming the first major carrier in the United States to do so since the start of the war in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Starting next month, United plans to resume daily flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Tel Aviv, the airline announced. The first couple flights — on March 2 and March 4 — will stop in Munich “to ensure all service providers are ready to support non-stop service to and from Newark” with the goal of resuming daily nonstop service on March 6.
Per the announcement, the airline hopes to increase its schedule with a second daily flight between Newark and Tel Aviv “as soon as May,” and would evaluate resuming flights to the country from San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Chicago in the fall.
“United conducted a detailed safety analysis in making this decision, including close work with security experts and government officials in the United States and Israel,” the airline wrote in a statement. “We also worked closely with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants to develop the protocols to ensure they are safe and well-informed.”
Additionally, Delta will reportedly resume flights on May 1, according toThe Times of Israel, citing the Israel Airports Authority. While a representative from the airline did not immediately respond to request for confirmation from Travel + Leisure, the airline's most recent statement says that flights are suspended until at least April 30.
The U.S. Department of State, which designates Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization, has issued an advisory for U.S. citizens in Israel and the West Bank to “reconsider travel” due to “terrorism and civil unrest,” and to not travel to Gaza “due to terrorism and armed conflict.”
Airlines in the U.S. and around the world first suspended flights to Israel in October after Israel declared war on Hamas following a violent invasion of the country's borders.