Delta Air Lines announced on Wednesday that it is extending the suspension of flights to Israel until September 5 at the earliest due to ongoing security concerns throughout the Middle East.
A planned new route between Boston and Tel Aviv, which was due to launch in October, has also now been delayed indefinitely.
Until February 28, when the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran, Delta had been flying daily to Tel Aviv from New York JFK, and was due to launch a three-weekly service from Atlanta in April.
In a statement, the airline explained: “Delta is extending its pause of service to Tel Aviv (TLV) as we continue to closely monitor conditions in the region and prioritize the safety of our customers and employees, with service from New York (JFK) and Atlanta (ATL) to TLV suspended through Sept. 5.”
“The launch of Boston (BOS)–TLV service, planned for late October, has been delayed until further notice.”
Cancellations will not be processed until March 28, at which point, passengers booked on affected services will receive a notification. The airline said on Wednesday, however, that impacted passengers can review their options in the Delta mobile app before they receive the cancellation notification.
American Airlines and United have suspended flights to the Middle East until June at the earliest, which is in line with many European carriers, which have extended cancellations to destinations including Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Doha, for the next couple of months.
Air traffic at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport remains significantly impacted due to the threat of Iranian missiles and kamikaze drones. Israel’s Ministry of Transportation has ordered the airport only to operate very limited flight movements until April 4 at the earliest.
Israeli flag carrier El Al is operating a small number of flights, with services to key gateways, including New York (JFK and EWR), Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Rome, and Athens.
