United Airlines will resume flights to Israel later this month, becoming the first American airline to restore service to Tel Aviv since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran. United plans to restart daily nonstop flights from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub on July 21, with two daily flights set to begin the following day. Flights were available for booking Tuesday on United’s website, with round-trip economy fares starting at under $1,150. United suspended all service to Israel on June 13 following the closure of Israeli airspace in response to Iranian missile attacks. At the time, the airline had said it would postpone its planned August 1 return due to ongoing regional instability. The newly announced July 21 relaunch marks a major shift in that timeline. Before the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, United was the leading U.S. airline operating routes to Ben Gurion Airport, offering multiple daily flights. Its decision to return ahead of competitors signals growing confidence in Israel’s aviation security and recovery. Delta Air Lines, United’s main rival on transatlantic routes, is expected to resume its own New York–Tel Aviv service on September 1. With U.S. carriers absent from the skies over Israel, the transatlantic route has been dominated in recent weeks by Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia. Both have operated at full capacity, with many flights reportedly oversold. On Monday, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted all remaining flight restrictions on Israeli airspace, clearing the way for more international carriers to return. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)