Delta Air Lines to Resume Daily Nonstop New York–Tel Aviv Flights on September 6, 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Delta Air Lines will resume daily nonstop flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on September 6, 2026, operated by the Airbus A330-900, with a one-way great-circle distance of 4,933 nautical miles (9,136 kilometers). The SkyTeam member suspended the route in February 2026 due to the war, as indicated by flight track data from the aviation data platform Flightradar24.

United Airlines will also return to TLV next week. The carrier announced the resumption just days after confirming that its San Francisco–TLV route would resume in March 2027. American Airlines also plans to return to Israel, with flights departing from New York.

Delta first launched the JFK–TLV route in June 2001, but suspended it shortly thereafter due to the September 11 attacks. It returned to the Israeli market in 2006 and has operated the route largely continuously since then.

Delta typically operates two daily flights on this route. The carrier's latest schedule filed with OAG shows two daily flights from November 29 through January 17, 2027, based on departures from the United States; booking data indicates that December is one of the busiest months on the JFK–TLV route. The Airbus A330-900 used for the resumption seats 281 passengers, including 29 Delta One seats with privacy doors (1-2-1 layout), 28 Premium Select seats (2-3-2 layout, 38-inch pitch), 56 Comfort+ seats (2-4-2 layout, 34-inch pitch), and 168 Main Cabin seats (2-4-2 layout, 32-inch pitch).

Based on December local times, Delta's JFK-to-TLV flights are DL248 (departing 3:15 p.m., arriving 8:50 a.m. the next day) and DL234 (departing 11:55 p.m., arriving 5:30 p.m. the next day); TLV-to-JFK flights are DL249 (departing 11:05 a.m., arriving 4:44 p.m.) and DL235 (departing 11:30 p.m., arriving 4:58 a.m. the next day), all four operated by the A330-900.

Air travel demand between the greater New York area and Israel is substantial. 2025 booking data shows that approximately 1.03 million local passengers flew between JFK and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and TLV, averaging about 2,800 per day excluding seasonal variations, including both nonstop passengers and sixth-freedom traffic connecting through European hubs.

In December 2026, Delta operates two daily flights from JFK to TLV, and together with Arkia (using aircraft leased from Hi Fly Malta) and El Al, the three carriers average five daily departures on the route that month, with up to seven on Sundays. Israir has just received approval to launch U.S. routes, though specific plans have not yet been announced. On the EWR side, El Al and United Airlines provide service, with United resuming EWR–TLV flights on September 8, increasing from two daily flights last year to three daily during the peak period after November 3; the two carriers operate up to five daily flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with none on Sundays. Combining both JFK and EWR, daily departures to TLV can reach up to 11, occurring on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays, with 10 on Tuesdays.

Taking Thursday, December 3 as an example, there are 11 departures from the greater New York area that day. The six flights from JFK are: 2:30 p.m. El Al 787-8 (arriving 7:45 a.m. the next day), 3:15 p.m. Delta A330-900 (arriving 8:50 a.m. the next day), 4:55 p.m. Arkia Hi Fly A330-300 (arriving 10:25 a.m. the next day), 5:00 p.m. El Al 787-9 (arriving 10:15 a.m. the next day), 8:50 p.m. El Al 787-9 (arriving 2:05 p.m. the next day), and 11:55 p.m. Delta A330-900 (arriving 5:30 p.m. the next day). The five flights from EWR are: 1:15 p.m. El Al 787-9 (arriving 6:30 a.m. the next day), 3:55 p.m. United 787-10 (arriving 9:20 a.m. the next day), 8:00 p.m. El Al 777-200ER (arriving 1:15 p.m. the next day), 8:40 p.m. United 787-9 (arriving 2:05 p.m. the next day), and 11:35 p.m. United 787-10 (arriving 5:00 p.m. the next day). Israir may also operate that day, though specific details are not yet available.

Airlines are optimistic about the market outlook. Next summer, daily flights from JFK and EWR to TLV will reach 14 on certain dates, running from early April 2027 through the summer peak, with the previous maximum capacity at 12 daily flights. Taking July 19, 2027 as an example, El Al plans to operate 8 flights, United 3, and American Airlines, Arkia, and Delta 1 each; on the same date in 2026, there were 9 departures, representing a 56% increase in flight frequency and a 62% increase in available seats, with 7,560 seats available that day. Schedules remain subject to change based on circumstances.