New Israeli airline challenges El Al’s stranglehold on U.S. routes

TechAir’s flights will depart Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at midnight and land at New York’s JFK Airport early the next morning.

By Jewish Breaking News

For Americans looking for direct flights to Israel after months of limited options, there is hope as a new carrier prepares to enter the market.

TechAir has announced it will launch direct flights between New York’s JFK Airport and Tel Aviv starting January 21. The new service will operate an Airbus A330-900 with 300 seats and offer round-trip fares starting at $1,550 during an initial 72-hour presale period.

While this pricing sits above TechAir’s original target of $1,350, it remains more economical than El Al’s direct flights and provides a faster alternative to routes with layovers operated by European carriers.

A new airline offers a much-needed alternative to El Al’s current monopoly on direct U.S.-Israel routes currently commanding a whopping 71% traffic through Ben Gurion airport.

According to CTECH, TechAir’s flights will depart Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at midnight and land at New York’s JFK Airport early the next morning. However, in order for the service to stay operational past March, it needs to sustain at least 35% seat occupancy.

Meanwhile, U.S. carriers remain absent from Israeli airspace. United Airlines has suspended operations indefinitely, while American Airlines has canceled flights until at least March 2025.

Delta has announced plans to resume service in April 2025, though their projected fares of $1,732 for summer travel exceed current market rates by several hundred dollars.

Connecting through Europe also isn’t an easy task anymore as most European airlines are pushing their return dates into 2025. British Airways won’t fly until late March, while Air France eyes a mid-January restart.

The Lufthansa Group, including Swiss and Austrian Airlines, has paused all Israel routes through January.

Spanish carrier Vueling remains grounded until January, alongside Italy’s ITA Airways which won’t fly until month’s end.

Ryanair has taken Israel completely off its schedule through April, while easyJet and Dutch airline Transavia have suspended operations until spring. Croatia Airlines has yet to announce when it might return to Israeli skies.

However, some European carriers have already returned to Israeli skies.

Among those currently operating are TAROM, Aegean Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Air Europa, and several smaller carriers including Electra Airways, GullivAir, and FlyOne.

However, their options remain significantly reduced compared to prewar schedules.