Daily nonstops from New York-JFK to Ben Gurion return Sept. 6 on an Airbus A330-900neo, after a pause that began Feb. 28. United follows two days later at Newark.
Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it will restart daily nonstop flights between New York and Tel Aviv on Sept. 6, using an Airbus A330-900neo.
The first flight departs John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sept. 6 and arrives in Israel the following morning, the airline said. The first return leaves Ben Gurion International Airport on Sept. 7 and lands in New York later that same day.
The announcement, posted at 9 a.m. on Delta’s news site, comes 11 days before that first departure. The Sept. 6 flight will be the first nonstop into Israel by one of the three largest U.S. carriers since Delta stopped flying the route on Feb. 28, at the onset of the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. Delta’s own flight updates that day cited “the ongoing conflict in the region.”
For U.S. travelers, the restart returns a U.S.-carrier option on the New York–Tel Aviv corridor just before the Jewish High Holy Days. The Times of Israel reported Aug. 7 that the holiday season begins with Rosh Hashana on the evening of Sept. 11 — five days after Delta’s first Kennedy departure.
What Delta Said
Delta tied the decision to a security assessment.
“The resumption of service follows a thorough review of the evolving security environment in the region. The safety and security of our customers and employees remain our top priority, and Delta will continue to monitor the situation closely in coordination with aviation authorities and government agencies,” the airline said in its statement.
Delta also directed travelers to its own channels: “Customers are encouraged to check delta.com and the Delta app for the latest flight updates and travel information.”
The release was unsigned corporate copy and named no spokesperson. AeroTime, which reported the restart the same day, attributed the safety language to a spokesperson for the airline. No individual is identified on Delta’s page.
What Delta Has Not Published
Delta’s announcement did not include a flight number or scheduled departure and arrival times, and the airline has not published fares for the restart. Third-party schedule listings show a midafternoon Kennedy departure, and a consumer travel site posted sample one-way and round-trip prices on Aug. 26. None of those figures has been confirmed by Delta.
No comment from Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian on the restart was located as of Aug. 26. No statement on the announcement was located from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or the Israel Airports Authority as of Aug. 26.
United Returns Two Days Later; American Stays Out
United Airlines is scheduled back at Tel Aviv two days after Delta. In an emailed statement reported Aug. 7 by The Times of Israel, the carrier said: “United still plans to resume service between Newark and Tel Aviv on Sept. 8 with two daily flights.”
United announced Aug. 25 that it will also restart San Francisco–Tel Aviv service on March 28, 2027, three times weekly, as part of what it called “the largest international network expansion in company history.” United said the San Francisco service will offer the most business class seats between the two cities of any airline.
American Airlines is further out. JNS reported Aug. 2 that American said it was extending its suspension of service to Israel and to Qatar through March 28, 2027. The Times of Israel reported the same day that the carrier would not resume Israel flights before March 27, 2027, and The Jerusalem Post, citing Israel’s N12 News, reported that no seats were available on the New York route until at least March, with availability appearing to return at the start of April 2027. Those reports were not confirmed against an American Airlines newsroom release, and no statement from the carrier on its Israel schedule was located as of Aug. 26. American has not operated New York–Tel Aviv service since October 2023, according to the Jerusalem Post and JNS accounts.
The Airplane on the Route
The flight will operate with Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort and Delta Main cabins, the airline said.
Delta’s published specifications for the A330-900neo list 281 seats — 29 in Delta One, 28 in Delta Premium Select, 56 in Delta Comfort and 168 in Delta Main. Delta One seats convert to lay-flat beds of 79 to 80 inches. The airline lists a range of 6,995 miles, a cruising speed of 537 mph and Trent 7000 engines.
Delta’s Israel Map Is Still Incomplete
The Sept. 6 restart covers Kennedy only.
Delta’s Tel Aviv updates page, whose most recent entry is dated May 20, lists Atlanta–Tel Aviv service as paused through Dec. 18 and the planned Boston–Tel Aviv launch as delayed until further notice. Those entries were still the latest on the page when it was checked Aug. 26. For Atlanta customers affected through Dec. 18, the May 20 update offered a refund of the unflown portion of the trip. That waiver applied to the Atlanta pause, not to the new Kennedy inventory.
Israeli Carriers Are Still Flying the Corridor
While U.S. airlines were out of the market, Israeli carriers kept flying to the United States. Travel Weekly reported Aug. 25, citing Cirium schedule data, that El Al is flying this month to Boston, Newark, Kennedy, Miami and Los Angeles, and that Arkia is also flying to Kennedy.
The Jerusalem Post reported Aug. 7 that Israir had received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel to begin U.S. flights and was expected to apply to the FAA. No launch date was announced in that report.
Government Guidance
Delta said it will keep monitoring conditions with aviation authorities and government agencies. U.S. government travel guidance is a separate matter for passengers weighing a booking.
The State Department’s Israel, the West Bank and Gaza travel advisory, dated Feb. 27 and still posted when it was checked Aug. 26, tells Americans to reconsider travel to Israel and to the West Bank because of terrorism and civil unrest. It tells them not to travel to Gaza or within 7 miles of the Gaza periphery, to areas within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders, or to within 1.5 miles of the Egyptian border except at the Taba crossing. The advisory calls the security situation in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, unpredictable, and says mortar and rocket fire, armed drone intrusions and missiles can occur without warning. The same advisory records that on Feb. 27 the department authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families from Mission Israel, and says people may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.
Delta’s Israel Service Has Stopped Twice
Delta’s Israel service has been interrupted twice since the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023.
The carrier restarted daily Kennedy–Tel Aviv flights on Sept. 1, 2025, according to a subsequent Delta announcement dated Oct. 31, 2025, and said it would add a second daily Kennedy frequency from Nov. 30, 2025, through Jan. 19, 2026. The February 2026 pause halted the route again. Delta extended that suspension repeatedly through the spring; by its March 25 update, Kennedy service was listed as suspended through Sept. 5, and its April 29 and May 20 updates held Sept. 6 as the planned restart.
Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. The Aug. 26 release does not mention the alliance.
Key Takeaways
- Delta restarts daily nonstop JFK–Tel Aviv flights Sept. 6 on an Airbus A330-900neo; the first return leaves Ben Gurion on Sept. 7.
- Delta paused the route Feb. 28 at the onset of the war with Iran and says the restart followed a security review.
- United plans two daily Newark–Tel Aviv flights from Sept. 8 and San Francisco service from March 28, 2027.
- Atlanta–Tel Aviv stays paused through Dec. 18; Boston remains delayed; American is not expected back before late March 2027.
- Delta has published no flight number, times or fares, and points customers to delta.com and the Delta app.