Air India returns to Israel, restoring direct flights to New Delhi

With the resumption of service, Air India is currently the only airline operating direct flights between Israel and India.

By World Israel News Staff

India’s national carrier Air India resumed operations in Israel on Thursday, marking its official return to the Tel Aviv–Delhi route after a months-long suspension, with an inaugural flight landing at Ben Gurion Airport.

With the resumption of service, Air India is currently the only airline operating direct flights between Israel and India, restoring a key air link between the two countries.

Air India suspended flights to Israel following the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. The airline made two brief attempts to restart service in 2024 and 2025, but both were halted due to ongoing security concerns.

Israel’s national carrier, El Al, has not operated flights to India since 2020, leaving Israeli travelers without a nonstop connection to the major Asian destination until Air India’s return.

In the initial phase, Air India will operate four weekly flights on the route, scheduled for Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Beginning in April, the airline plans to expand service to five flights per week. The flights will be operated using Boeing 777 aircraft and will offer three classes of service: economy, business, and first class.

The airline’s return comes as Israel’s tourism sector shows early signs of recovery. According to Israel’s Tourism Ministry, 1.3 million tourists visited Israel this year, even as war continued in the region. The figures mark an improvement following the October ceasefire but remain well below pre-war levels.

Tourism numbers have stayed depressed since the October 7, 2023 attack, which triggered the war and led to widespread flight suspensions and global travel advisories. Fewer than one million tourists visited Israel last year, compared with three million in 2023 and a record 4.5 million in 2019.

“With the removal of travel advisories and the increase in flights, 2026 is expected to be a year of recovery,” Tourism Minister Haim Katz said Wednesday, adding that demand for travel to Israel remains strong in key markets, led by the United States.