United Airlines is resuming service to Tel Aviv. They will become the second U.S. carrier to announce a resumption of service after Delta announced the return of its flight between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV).
While United is the second airline to make the announcement, it will actually be the first one to resume service as flights will begin in March 2025. Delta’s service is scheduled to resume April 1, 2025.
United is Going Big on Tel Aviv Service
The airline announced today that it will restart service between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) near New York and Tel Aviv on March 15, 2025. A second daily frequency will follow in quick succession, launching March 29, 2025.
Both flights will be operated using Boeing 787-10 aircraft, the largest of the 787 Dreamliner fleet, featuring 44 Polaris Business Class, 21 Premium Plus, and 253 Economy seats.
According to the carrier, the resumption of service comes after “a detailed assessment of operational considerations for the region and close work with the unions who represent our flight attendants and pilots”
Both flights are currently on sale. As of March 15, 2025, United will operate between Newark and Tel Aviv on the following frequency:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|
| UA 84 (EWR-TLV) | 3:55p | 8:20a (+1 day) |
| UA 85 (TLV-EWR) | 10:30a | 4:35p |
The second flight has an arguably rougher schedule, though it may be more appealing to night owls like myself. Beginning on March 29, 2025, United’s second daily flight will operate as follows:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|
| UA 90 (EWR-TLV) | 10:45p | 4:20p (+1 day) |
| UA 91 (TLV-EWR) | 11:25p | 4:15a (+1 day) |
There is no doubt a lot of pent up demand for travel between Israel and the United States as United also mentions connecting itineraries available via its Star Alliance partners at Lufthansa Group in the release. While tourism to Israel may still be down, there will no doubt be plenty of business and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic on this route which should easily fill these flights.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see United add additional routes to Tel Aviv in the near future if everything goes well on this route. Prior to the outbreak of the war in Gaza, United was the largest of the U.S. carriers in the Israeli market. Though United hasn’t flown to Israel since last summer.
The airline noted that it is continuing to evaluate opportunities to restore additional flights based on demand so more announcements could be coming soon.
Summary
United Airlines will become the first major U.S. carrier to resume service to Tel Aviv on March, 15, 2025. The carrier will add a second daily flight between Newark and Tel Aviv on March 29, 2025 and has indicated that it will continue to add service based on demand.