Starting from 28 March 2026, carrier American Airlines is scheduled to resume its direct flights between New York and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. If the relaunch goes ahead, it will mark the end of a 2.5-year hiatus.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on 7 October 2023, American Airlines’ flight route between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport had been temporarily cancelled. Previously, flights were scheduled to resume in September 2025, but that plan did not go through.
On Sunday 26 October 2025 and following the ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, the carrier has announced it would resume its direct flights between the US and Israel starting from 28 March 2028, using a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. Tickets are on sale starting as of 27 October 2025.
Israel will forever be America’s greatest ally in the Middle East.@AmericanAir resuming flights to Israel reaffirms our commitment to the Jewish people across the country. Onward!🇺🇸🇮🇱 https://t.co/5N9zq6He8a
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) October 24, 2025
Latest carrier to announce its return
Following the outbreak of the war on 7 October 2023, many international carriers had halted their operations to and from Israel. Israeli carriers El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia, and Israir thus practically became the only ones to be operating International routes. And with demand surpassing supply, this meant that airfares for flights to and from Israel were steep. El Al’s market share at the end of 2024 amounted to 44%.
Over time, many international airlines started to resume their operations in the region. Delta and United have already relaunched their flights in September and July, respectively, while British Airways, SAS, Swiss, and Iberia are scheduled to do so in the week of 27 October 2025, following the ceasefire. Air India should resume its flight schedule to Israel in December 2025, and Emirates should be back at Ben Gurion on 31 March 2026. Others, such as easyJet and Ryanair, have yet to announce their return.
Once American Airlines will have resumed its flights from JFK in March 2028, five carriers will provide direct flights between the US and Israel: El Al, Arkia, Delta, American Airlines, and United. While United Airlines currently flies from and to Newark, flight routes from Washington and Chicago will be added at the start of November 2025.
In the first nine months of 2025, passenger traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv in Israel wen up by 25% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 13.6 million according to the Israel Airports Authority. As other carriers stepped in, El Al’s market share dropped to 32.5%.
