Airlines return to Israel: United Airlines to add 3rd Tel Aviv–New York flight in spring 2026

United Airlines has announced that it will add a third flight between Tel Aviv and New York beginning in March 2026. Once the expansion is implemented, the airline will reportedly then offer passengers four daily flights to New York in the summer of 2026. The move is reportedly part of United Airlines' wider strategy to expand its transatlantic flights and offer more international destinations than any other U.S. airline.

Next month, United Airlines (UA) is also expected to resume its direct flights from Israel to Washington, D.C., and to Chicago.

“Our third frequency between Tel Aviv and New York/Newark gives customers in Israel even more choice,” Marcel Fuchs, United Airlines’ managing director of international sales, explained.

“Next summer, we’ll offer up to four nonstop flights per day from Tel Aviv to the United States, with seamless connections to more than 100 destinations across the Americas,” he added.

UA's new Tel Aviv – New York/Newark flight will use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and is scheduled to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Following the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, many airline companies worldwide canceled their flights to Israel due to security concerns. However, the ceasefires with Hezbollah, Iran and recently with Hamas, have encouraged international airline companies to resume their flights to the country.

In August, the Scandinavian airline company SAS announced it would resume its flight between Israel and Copenhagen, Denmark – its first service on the route since 2016, nearly a decade ago. The airline is currently the only carrier offering direct flights between Copenhagen and Tel Aviv. The nonstop journey takes about four hours, compared to six to eight hours with connecting flights, and is expected to boost air traffic between Scandinavia and Israel. SAS also provides a wide range of direct and connecting flights across Europe and beyond.

Air Canada has also returned to Israel and is scheduled to offer flights between Tel Aviv and Toronto this month.

British Airways and the Spanish Iberia Express are also scheduled to resume direct flights from London and Madrid to Tel Aviv during the month of October.

The large German airline, Lufthansa, had already announced in July that it would resume its flights to Israel in August. Lufthansa is the main component of the Lufthansa Group, which indicated it would return to a full flight program in October. Other international airlines that resumed flights to the Jewish state at the end of the summer include the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the low-cost airline Wizz Air and Transavia.

Sky Express is reportedly preparing to launch daily flights from Athens, Greece, to Tel Aviv in December.