Air India Tel Aviv flights to stay suspended until September 30

Air India’s Delhi-Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended until September 30, the airline has confirmed, citing ongoing security risks and airspace challenges across West Asia.

The route had previously been suspended only through the end of July, with resumption expected around now, but the airline has extended the timeline by a further two months.

This marks at least the third extension of the suspension, which was first pushed to the end of May before being moved to the end of July.

More than 40,000 Indian nationals in Israel remain affected by the continued suspension, according to figures cited in reports on the disruption.

With no direct flights running, passengers travelling between India and Israel currently have to route through hubs such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, adding four to eight hours to their journeys.

Air India said it would reassess the security situation closer to the new target date before resuming ticket sales for the route.

The airline continues to offer full refunds to passengers whose bookings have been affected.

The extension follows ongoing coordination between international aviation bodies and India’s Ministry of External Affairs regarding the regional security situation.

El Al, Israel’s national carrier, has been operating full schedules since Ben Gurion Airport fully reopened in April following a ceasefire, while Air India has kept its Delhi-Tel Aviv route suspended.

A number of major international airlines have similarly kept their Tel Aviv routes suspended or reduced in recent months, reflecting broader caution around the region’s airspace despite the ceasefire.

Air India had originally suspended its Delhi-Tel Aviv route in response to escalating regional tensions, and has pushed back the resumption date multiple times since as the security situation in West Asia has failed to stabilise.

Passengers travelling between India and Israel currently have to route through third-country hubs such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, adding several hours to journey times compared with the previous direct service.

(Image: Photo by Eluveitie (Beata May), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)