In October 2023, we saw most international airlines discontinue flights to Israel over safety concerns, following the Hamas terror attacks, and subsequent conflict. Ever since, we’ve seen foreign airlines take an “on again, off again” approach to service, based on the constantly evolving security situation. They want to fly to Tel Aviv, given that it’s a lucrative market, but they also have to take precautions.
Along those lines, Delta has just beat United to the punch with relaunching Israel service, after the latest round of suspensions, which happened at the beginning of the month.
In this post:
Delta resumes daily New York to Tel Aviv route
As of today (May 20, 2025), Delta is resuming daily flights between New York (JFK) and Tel Aviv (TLV). The route is operating with the following schedule:
DL234 New York to Tel Aviv departing 3:40PM arriving 9:35AM (+1 day)
DL235 Tel Aviv to New York departing 11:50AM arriving 4:59PM
The 5,677-mile flight is blocked at 10hr55min eastbound and 12hr9min westbound. Delta uses an Airbus A330-900neo for the service, featuring 281 seats, including 29 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, 56 extra legroom economy seats, and 168 economy seats.
For context, Delta suspended service to Tel Aviv from July 2024 through April 2025. Then we saw service resume as of April 1, 2025, before being suspended again as of May 4, 2025, following a missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport.
Delta claims that the decision to resume Israel flights “follows a comprehensive security review, conducted in close coordination with government and private-sector partners,” and “the airline continues to prioritize the safety of its customers and crews and has implemented additional precautions for operations to and from Tel Aviv.”
Interestingly, this is the first time that we’re seeing Delta beat United when it comes to relaunching Israel flights. Up until now, United has always resumed flights first. Only time will tell how long the service lasts this time around, before there’s the next scare.
Delta & EL AL have an intriguing partnership
With Delta resuming flights to Israel, I can’t help but point out an interesting development we’ve seen in the past couple of years. In June 2023, Delta and EL AL announced a new strategic partnership. Of course the timing of that wasn’t great, since it was supposed to launch in late 2023, around the same time that Delta pulled out of Israel the first time.
As we see more airlines returning to Israel, I’m very curious to see what this partnership looks like in practice, and how Delta evolves its Israel route network in light of this.
Historically, Delta has been heavily focused on joint venture partners and airlines that it invests in, so I think it’s almost a sure bet that Delta plans to eventually buy a stake in EL AL.
However, I suspect Delta is waiting some time to invest, given that EL AL’s valuation is at an all-time high, as the conflict has been good for the carrier’s business. EL AL is as profitable as ever, as the only airline that has been continuously flying to Israel, so fares have been through the roof.
Bottom line
Delta is resuming daily flights between New York and Tel Aviv as of today, May 20, 2025. Most recently, Delta suspended Israel flights in early May, after there was a missile strike near the airport. We’re also seeing Delta resume flights ahead of United for the first time since the start of the conflict, so that’s interesting.
Anyway, it remains to be seen how long it is until the service is next suspended….
What do you make of Delta resuming flights to Israel?
Ben, this is the contributor who uses the AeroB13a login. I am deeply flattered that someone is so impressed by my posts that they feel it necessary imitate them too.
No doubt Ben, you will be able to differentiate between the logins, real and false, as the email addresses will be totally different. Thereafter, it should be easy for you to delete the imposters posts, yes?
It was a good weeze, however ill...
Ben, this is the contributor who uses the AeroB13a login. I am deeply flattered that someone is so impressed by my posts that they feel it necessary imitate them too.
No doubt Ben, you will be able to differentiate between the logins, real and false, as the email addresses will be totally different. Thereafter, it should be easy for you to delete the imposters posts, yes?
It was a good weeze, however ill intended, now it is time for the numpty wind your neck in or confront me directly. I would simply love the opportunity to discuss your desperation for such a childish act.
one wonders whether any of the guest "AeroB13a" posts were ever you?
You poor demented soul, how can you live with yourself? After all if you cannot do any better than to copy your betters, there is little hope for such a “Bear of very little brain”. …. :-)
code-switching, my dear.
Look it up, you demented soul.
One finds it surprising that the "diamond" user of aero refuses to acknowledge whether his comments about the supremacy over all above Gazans is from him?
Please tell the readership why the real AeroB13a, should accommodate the gross ignorance of his imitator …. Plain Jane?
Keep posting darlink, keep providing Ben, with the the proof that you are pathetic, compulsive bully who is just asking to be sanctioned by Ben.
Keep guessing, my darlink. Your curiosity is my energy
one still wonders why you refuse to acknowledge your own pro genocide comments below? One thinks you're immune to thousands of deaths...
Was it not you in guest form? You haven't refuted them in those comments?
You are not AeroB13a I am
Even if you hate Jews and call it anti-Zionism, there are about 2000000 Arabs/Muslims living in Israel, So instead of Using ElAl only they now got another option
So what's the problem now?!
It’s astonishing in 2025, it’s now ok to be an anti-Semite, all coming from the tolerant and loving liberals who ironically call MAGA “Nazis.” All of those same hypocrites criticizing this flight, do you boycott Chinese products as well as flights to China? Where’s your selective rage? Nobody told you to be mad at this? Got it. You do know that right now China has concentration camps for the Muslims, the Uyghurs.
Have you...
It’s astonishing in 2025, it’s now ok to be an anti-Semite, all coming from the tolerant and loving liberals who ironically call MAGA “Nazis.” All of those same hypocrites criticizing this flight, do you boycott Chinese products as well as flights to China? Where’s your selective rage? Nobody told you to be mad at this? Got it. You do know that right now China has concentration camps for the Muslims, the Uyghurs.
Have you also considered Aid workers will use Delta’s flight to help the Palestinians? No doubt what is happening over there is a crime against humanity. But stop the hate towards all Jews.
One has to agree with others in these poignant comments that Delta was foolish to start this route now. One thinks Delta is providing cover to Israeli Genocide through this action and ignoring what one views is happening in Gaza.
Well done United and American for staying off the route. Cheerio
so were all western airlines wrong to serve Israel since the state of Israel was created and the same will be true forever into the future?
It's a market which some companies manage to figure out a way to serve.
In this case, DL just might have found a way to serve a market before and even over its US competitors.
It becomes apparent that one tim Dunn enjoys arguing for the sake of arguing rather than having a point.
Tim Dunn, please be advised that the real AeroB13a commenter did not post the post in response to your comment.
I would never omit to posting your name with a small ’t’ instead of a capital ‘T’.
We certainly have someone rattled!
Ben, I know that imitation is the highest form of flattery, however, the AeroB13a post above is not original.
The real AeroB13a DID NOT post that load of hogwash.
Who posted the guest aero below?
One finds it difficult to keep track
One finds my own code-switching between various English dialects to be quite difficult to surmise who is posting.
Disgusting that Delta announces this, at a time when Israel is accelerating its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
14000 babies are expected to die in the next 48 hours, and Delta chooses to endorse this. Shame on you, Ed Bastian!
The only flights from Israel should be one way flights to take Netanyahu, Smortich, Ben-Gvir and Daniella Weiss to The Hague.
Disgusting that Delta announces this, at a time when Israel is accelerating its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
14000 babies are expected to die in the next 48 hours, and Delta chooses to endorse this. Shame on you, Ed Bastian!
Wow! Please stay on topic or Ben will wag his finger at you.
However, I’m sure you’ll be fine because you follow his political leanings.
Controlling stakeholder in ELAL invested 150 M in the throes of Covid and they are now reporting 500 M yearly profit, has got to be one of the all time best aviation investments
Very smart of Delta to relaunch flights. The tech sector is booming in Israel and lots of executives from Israel travel back to the US.
Unfortunately it will probably be a while before they restart Atlanta.
Good move from DL, now await the comments from the antisemites ….
Anti semite - no. Anti Israeli government- absolutely as they are committing genocide in Gaza. It has to stop, as does the war in Ukraine.
"Genocide"
NG, yes, one has to agree, far too many people are ignorant of the meaning of that word. Shame on them for using it without understanding its true meaning.
I am aware . Genocide means the destruction of a whole or part of an ethnic group.
About 55000 people have died in Gaza.
We all know what the Israeli government would like.
Since 2023 over 17000 children have been killed in Gaza.
And I had family murdered in Majdanek concentration camp.
Well done Icarus, you have regurgitated the Palestinian Hamas propaganda with a flourish.
Sadly, you have been remiss in ignoring the history of the people’s of Judea. Millions of years off the history of real genocide perpetuated against the Jewish population. You conveniently ignore the Hamas Convention. You completely forget about the Nazi genocidal activities and how Hamas have pledged to continue with the action …. “From the river to the sea”.
Worst...
Well done Icarus, you have regurgitated the Palestinian Hamas propaganda with a flourish.
Sadly, you have been remiss in ignoring the history of the people’s of Judea. Millions of years off the history of real genocide perpetuated against the Jewish population. You conveniently ignore the Hamas Convention. You completely forget about the Nazi genocidal activities and how Hamas have pledged to continue with the action …. “From the river to the sea”.
Worst of all is your last sentence …. unbelievable.
Not reading that BS...
FREE PALESTINE.
Well considering that the population of Gaza has grown every year for about 70 years, Israel must be very bad at genocide.
Sadly they seem to be doing much better at genocide over the last year or so.
Dear, dear Aaron, you still cannot understand the true meaning of the word genocide. Your ignorance is astounding.
Oh shut it you Hasbara propeganda bot. If anyone here is an ignorant buffoon, it’s definitely you.
Please stop commenting with your genocidal Hasbara tripe, AeroBenGvir
As seen above, all posted under my 'guest' name above is a farce. I support none of what I said under a guest nom de plume.
Apologies to all. I do not support genocide despite my comments
I'd bet DL has negotiated preferential rates with LY in the event that they need to cancel and rebook passengers. Rates which LY is not making available to UA.
or preferential order in rebooking - but, if so, that could DL an advantage in a market where UA has long been larger than any other US airlne.
I still think it is probably aircraft availability related but you are right that there could be other reasons...
Air France KLM and Delta have a marketing and special prorate agreement with LY so that’s a given and standard within the industry.
Fya The U.K. government has suspended trade talks with Israel.
The order of rebooking and priority of access to El Al inventory if US carriers have to suspend service could well be an advantage DL gained in negotiations
Icarus, many Labour members of the UK government are notorious antisemites and some are reported to be Palestinian Hamas supporters too. They do not represent the British electorate as more people did not vote for them at the last general elections than did so.
What nonsense. That’s only if you classify people being sympathetic to Palestinians as somehow being antismetic and/or Hamas supporters which is beyond asinine.
I don't think DL's decision to go back before UA but suspect that it is because DL kept an aircraft available to be able to restart this service while UA deployed every aircraft they had.
DL has already received several new A330-900s so far this year and a couple more are due for delivery before the end of the month.
I don't think DL's decision to go back before UA is due to any other reason than that DL kept an aircraft....
You have no idea what you’re talking about clearly.
That's Tim Dunn to everyone else.
feel free to tell us WHAT part you disagree with.
and, yes, DL is receiving many more new widebody deliveries than UA. has been true for several years.
You’re implying United doesn’t have a plan that it built a schedule around to operate prior? You’re more dense than i thought.
you can't stand that Ben accurately noted that DL came up w a means to serve an important market before UA did.
that's not dense but observant.
I can guarantee United has an aircraft available, they’ve chosen not to deploy their resources for whatever business reason they have.
You’re a joke