New Delhi/Tel Aviv: In good news for those planning to travel to Israel, Air India is set to resume direct flights between Delhi and Tel Aviv from December 1, 2026. This will restore non-stop air connectivity between the two countries after a prolonged period of disruptions.
The airline will operate five flights a week from Sunday to Thursday using Boeing 777 aircraft, the Israel Ministry of Tourism announced. With the restart, Air India will be the only carrier offering non-stop flights between India and Israel.
Flight schedules have been designed for convenience, the ministry said. For travellers, the return of a non-stop option means they will no longer need to build an additional transit into their itinerary when flying between the two countries.
Air India has had to suspend and restart services at different points as security conditions in the region changed. According to Israeli business publication Globes, the Indian carrier had resumed flights in March 2025 but suspended them again in May following a Houthi missile strike that hit the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport.
Services were subsequently restored in February 2026 before being halted again at the end of the month following the outbreak of the Iran war, as reported by News18.
On October 7, 1023, Air India halted Delhi-Tel Aviv flights after the Hamas attack on Israel. The airline said the immediate cancellations were made in the interest of passenger and crew safety.
Air India announced the route would restart from March 2, 2025, after the earlier suspension. The service was suspended again in May after the Houthi missile strike
In February this year, the airline set aside plans to resume its Israel operations amid a wider escalation in the Middle East. Its own updates listed Tel Aviv among the suspended destinations, citing the developing security situation and concerns over regional airspace.
India was already a significant source market before the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 70,000 Indian visitors travelling to Israel each year. Many of those trips centred on pilgrimage and spiritual travel.
Israeli tourism authorities see an opportunity to broaden the appeal, with the reopening of the Delhi route.
“We would like more Indian travellers to discover the many different sides of Israel, beyond its longstanding appeal for pilgrimage and spiritual travel… The return of the Delhi route gives us an important opportunity to build greater awareness of this diversity and encourage more Indian travellers to experience Israel in different ways,” an official said.
The Israel Ministry of Tourism is expanding its engagement in India, alongside the restart of flights. Plans include closer collaboration with travel trade, destination training sessions, webinars, and familiarisation programmes for travel agents and media. The focus is on showcasing a wider range of experiences from beach holidays and outdoor adventures to culinary trails, cultural sites and modern city life so that Israel is no longer viewed solely through the lens of religious tourism.
The practical benefits are immediate for Indian travellers. A non-stop Boeing 777 service eliminates the need for time-consuming layovers in Europe or the Gulf, shortens overall journey time, and offers greater schedule flexibility. Families, business travellers, and first-time visitors stand to gain the most from the restored link. The early-morning departure from Delhi and mid-morning return from Tel Aviv also allow for efficient day-use of time on both ends of the trip.