US air carrier United Airlines is to resume flights to Israel today for the second time since suspending trips following Hamas’s terror rampage and the ensuing war.

A United flight is scheduled to depart Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey at 3.30pm local time today, and is due to arrive tomorrow at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport at 8.55am, with further flights expected to be introduced in the coming weeks and months.

The flight will mark United’s second return to Israel since October.
Consumer aviation expert website the Points Guy said: “United returned to the market briefly earlier this year, but it stopped flights again after an escalation between Israel and Iran in April.”

“The airline’s flight 84 and flight 85 — the early-afternoon departure from Newark and the day flight from Tel Aviv — are the first to resume on Thursday,” the site added.

“The carrier is then scheduled to add Flight 90 and Flight 91 — the evening departure from Newark and the red-eye flight from Tel Aviv —on Thursday, June 20.”

The airline aims to relaunch flights to Israel from Chicago, San Fransisco and Washington DC in late October, according to the site.

Following an “extensive security risk assessment,” rival carrier Delta plans to resume daily, non-stop flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Ben Gurion tomorrow.

The route, which was suspended in October, will provide customers with nearly 2,000 weekly seats from New York to Israel, Delta said.

In the UK, Virgin Atlantic recently announced it will resume journeys between London Heathrow and Israel from 5 September, when it will begin operating a daily flight in each direction.

Wizz Air started up operations again in March, with British Airways following the next month.