United said there would be some connecting flights from New York and Newark on March 2 and 4, with the objective of beginning daily nonstop flights on March 6.
“United performed a thorough safety review before making this decision, including extensive consultation with security experts and government authorities in the United States and Israel. We also collaborated closely with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants to create standards that guarantee passengers are safe and well-informed’, the airline said in a statement.
The airline stated that it wants to establish a second daily route from Newark as early as May and might grow from there.
“Previous flying from San Francisco, Washington Dulles and Chicago O’Hare will be evaluated for resumption beginning in the autumn,” according to a statement from United Airlines.
United’s plan to resume flights to Tel Aviv follows a slew of similar announcements by European carriers recently, including Lufthansa (together with Lufthansa-owned SWISS and Austrian carriers), Air France, and Polish carrier LOT.
Delta and American Airlines, the other big US airlines that used to fly to Israel, have yet to restore service. However, Delta announced last month that flights might resume in the spring.