Israir’s first wide-body aircraft landed in Israel on Friday, about six weeks before the airline plans to launch its direct New York route. The plane is the first of two Airbus A330s the company bought in a deal worth about $85 million. The second aircraft is expected to join the fleet early next week, and Israir says New York service will begin in early August.
During July, the new jets will also be deployed on Israir’s European routes as the company prepares for long-haul operations. The aircraft have three service classes, business, premium and economy. Israir said it is completing training for flight crews, ground staff and maintenance teams to support long-distance flying.
In May, the airline said it had finished buying the two A330s it announced at the start of the year, and that it intended to begin New York flights in the third quarter of 2026. At the same time, it said it was hiring 16 pilots and 50 flight attendants to support the expansion. With the purchase completed, Israir now owns five narrow-body aircraft and two wide-body aircraft, and also operates four planes on long-term lease and seven on seasonal lease. It expects to operate a fleet of 18 aircraft in summer 2026.
The move comes a month after Israir said Bird Aviation, the group’s maintenance arm in Larnaca, Cyprus, received Israeli Civil Aviation Authority approval to perform line maintenance on A330s. Israir said the permit would let it handle troubleshooting, line checks and operational support in-house, improving aircraft availability and flexibility ahead of the U.S. launch. CEO Uri Sirkis called the arrival of the first A330 at Ben Gurion Airport “a landmark moment” for the airline and for Israel’s aviation sector, saying the aircraft purchase and the completed training programs put the company “in a new competitive starting position.” The airline’s wide-body plan was first disclosed in November 2025, and earlier future destinations mentioned included Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, another destination in China and Miami. Israir also named Yoav Weiss as vice president for U.S. operations, the Far East and wide-body fleet management.
