Delta, United Pausing Tel Aviv Flights Amid Rising Regional Tensions

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:25 PM ET, Thu August 1, 2024

As the situation in the Middle East deteriorates, airlines are pausing flights to the region.

Delta announced yesterday that flights between New York-JFK and Tel Aviv will be paused through Friday, August 2, “due to ongoing conflict in the region.”

That decision included suspending sales of flights for DL234 on July 31 and August 1, and DL235 on August 1 and August 2.

The airline said in a statement released on its website that customers impacted by the schedule changes will receive notifications via the Fly Delta app and contact information listed in their reservations.

Meanwhile, seats on Delta partner airlines Air France and EL AL Israel Airlines remain bookable on delta.com and through Delta Reservations when available.

The airline also said in its statement that it will continue to assess the worsening regional conflicts in the Middle East and respond accordingly.

“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” said the statement.

Travel waivers have been issued for all Delta customers who booked travel to or from Tel Aviv before August 14, 2024.
Separately, Travel + Leisure is reporting that United also intends to temporarily pause flights operating between New Liberty International Airport and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

The carrier has just resumed flights to Tel Aviv in the spring, after pausing them in October amid the Israeli war on Hamas.

"We have suspended for security reasons our daily Tel Aviv service as we evaluate our next steps,” United confirmed to Travel + Leisure in a statement today. “We continue to closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews.”

In July, the State Department heightened travel advisories for destinations in the region.

As of July 31 Northern Israel, in particular, is the subject of a Do Not Travel destination, per the State Department. Specifically the government agency advises travelers to avoid going “within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders due to the rising tensions between Hizballah and Israel.”

For the remainder of the Israel, the State Department has issued a Reconsider Travel advisory due to “terrorism and armed conflict.”

Similarly, the State Department has issued a Do Not Travel advisory for Gaza, citing “terrorism and armed conflict."

The latest concerns about the region come on the heels of an Israeli assassination of a Hezbollah leader and the killing of a top Hamas leader while he was in Tehran. Iran has vowed revenge and the entire region is now said to be on edge amid concerns about a wider war erupting.