By David Shepardson
(Reuters) -Delta Air Lines said late on Wednesday it will resume flights to Israel starting June 7, becoming the second major U.S. carrier to do so following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel.
Delta said it will begin daily flights between New York-JFK and Tel Aviv on an Airbus A330-900neo following an extensive security risk assessment by the airline. United Airlines resumed flights to Israel earlier this month from Newark but does not plan to restart flights from other U.S. cities until at least this fall.
Delta said it will offer about 2,000 seats weekly from New York to Israel and "continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners."
United, American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) and Delta all suspended U.S. service to Israel in October following the Hamas attack.
Restarting U.S. carrier flights to Tel Aviv signals a potential turning point for travel to Israel, after tourism dried up on security fears following the Hamas rampage and subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Before Oct. 7, United had four direct flights daily to Tel Aviv from Newark, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago. The airline said the flights where service has not yet resumed "will be evaluated for resumption beginning in the fall."
Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Aegean and Air France are among other airlines that have restarted flights to Tel Aviv.
American Airlines has halted flights through Oct. 28. Last October, more than 30 U.S. lawmakers urged the airlines to resume flights to Israel "as soon as possible."