The current fighting in the Gulf region has made Israeli airspace too risky for most carriers, including American Airlines. After extending its service suspensions following the launch of Operation Epic Fury at the end of February, three years will have passed before American Airlines returns to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
This decision was made due to the ongoing dangers to civilian air traffic, which has forced AA to make this choice. The 2026 air campaign conducted by the United States and Israel against Iran has resulted in a major wave of missile and drone attacks across the region as Iranian troops retaliate.
The threat to civil air traffic in the Gulf region over the past three years is considered the most significant disruption of commercial flying since the 9/11 attacks on New York City in 2001.
Despite this, Delta Air Lines is slated to resume service from New York JFK Airport to Tel Aviv on September 6, 2026. Delta service from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is also expected to begin again on November 30.
United Airlines is expected to resume flying from New York to Tel Aviv on September 8, at the earliest.
The primary danger for airliners is the risk of a civilian jet being misidentified and shot down by military air defense systems from one of the different armed forces simultaneously engaged in launching and deflecting chaotic salvos of missiles and drone attacks.
This reality was spotlighted when three US Air Force Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle jets were shot down in Kuwait by friendly air defenses in the early stages of Operation Epic Fury.
Aircraft operating near the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East have also experienced safety-of-flight concerns due to the ongoing conflict.
The ban on flights to Tel Aviv will be lifted, but the risks associated with flying into Israeli airspace remain a pressing concern for commercial airlines.
The ongoing conflict in the Gulf region poses a significant threat to civilian air traffic.
