Air India Resumes Flights to Israel After Nine-Month Hiatus

Air India is set to resume direct flights between Tel Aviv and Delhi on December 1st, following a nearly nine-month suspension. The Indian carrier will operate five weekly flights on Sundays through Thursdays, utilizing Boeing 777 aircraft. This resumption makes Air India the sole airline offering direct service between Israel and India. The current schedule is planned until March 27, 2027, according to the company's Israeli representation.

The Delhi to Tel Aviv flight (AI139) will depart at 05:00, arriving at Ben Gurion Airport at 08:30 after approximately seven hours of flight. The return flight (AI140) will depart Tel Aviv at 10:30, landing in Delhi at 19:45, with a flight time of about five hours and forty-five minutes. This direct connection is expected to enhance travel options from Israel to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region via India, as Air India offers connecting flights from Delhi to numerous destinations in these areas.

Air India initially halted its flights to Israel on February 28th, coinciding with the outbreak of war and the closure of the country's airspace. A flight en route to Tel Aviv at the time was diverted to Mumbai. The airline subsequently suspended its operations in the region, with the Tel Aviv route remaining closed even after services to other Middle Eastern destinations resumed. The suspension was extended multiple times, with the company stating in late May that it would not return to Ben Gurion Airport before the end of July due to regional security concerns.

Earlier, Air India's operations in Israel had experienced intermittent suspensions and resumptions since October 7, 2023. The airline briefly restarted Tel Aviv-Delhi flights in early 2026, only to suspend them again within two months. In related news, Israir is expanding its 2027 spring-summer schedule with four new European destinations: Split, Sarajevo, Bologna, and Preveza, aiming for over 3 million passengers annually. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will also restart direct flights between Tel Aviv and Copenhagen four times a week starting October 26th, marking its second attempt to return to the Israeli market after a previous suspension. Other carriers like Delta and United have already resumed flights, while American Airlines has postponed its return until late March 2027. Air Canada has also moved up its resumption of Tel Aviv-Toronto flights to November 30th.