El Al alone on direct Israel-US routes

Major US airline Delta Air Lines has announced that it will not return to Israel until the end of March 2025, citing the security situation. Combined with previous cancellations by US carriers United Airlines and American Airlines, this leaves El Al as the only remaining operator of the high-demand Tel Aviv-New York route.

Delta Airlines typically flies daily from Tel Aviv to New York’s JFK Airport. After an early suspension, the route briefly resumed operations in June and July, but at the end of the year Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was sent to Lebanon. This was until he was killed and military activity in the region intensified. July. The airline initially suspended flights in Israel for only a few days at a time, then continued until the end of the Jewish holiday season, which ends on October 24, and has now extended the suspension further.

Cancellations by European airlines have also limited the possibility of connecting flights between the United States and Israel, including Lufthansa Group and British Airways, which announced extended cancellations yesterday. . Air France, ITA, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lot. Meanwhile, Air Europa and Bluebird Airlines have resumed flights to Israel.

Due to this situation and high demand, El Al has significantly expanded its flight schedule between Israel and the United States and canceled flights on other routes.

As previously mentioned, El Al is currently the only airline with nonstop flights between Israel and the United States, with flights to JFK Airport and Newark, New York/New Jersey, as well as flights to Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale with 50 flights per week.

Since October 7 last year, El Al has changed its operations in South Africa, Ireland and Morocco to strengthen its operations on routes to Europe and the United States.

According to El Al’s second quarter financial report, the company has an 88% market share in the Israel-U.S. market. That percentage rose to 100% after Delta Air Lines canceled flights.

Fares from Israel to the United States currently start at $1,000. According to El Al’s financial report, 43% of the $670 million in revenue from passenger and cargo transportation in the first half of 2024 came from flights to the United States, compared to 37% in the first half of 2023.

Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on October 22, 2024.

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