United Airlines announced Thursday it plans to resume direct flights to Israel from Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles international airports for the first time since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. 

Flights from Chicago are set to commence Nov. 1 and will operate four times per week, and flights from Washington are scheduled to begin Nov. 2 and will operate three times per week, according to the airline. 

Currently no other airline offers direct flights to Israel from Chicago or Washington. United and Delta offer daily flights between Israel and the New York area. 

“The resumption of these flights underscores United’s longstanding commitment to Tel Aviv,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, said in a statement. 

United restarted its flights to Israel in February following a 16-month hiatus in operations to the Jewish state after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October 2023, with the exception of two brief periods in 2024. 

For more than a year, Israeli airline El Al was the only consistent option for direct travel to and from the U.S., leading to a shortage of flights to meet travelers’ demand and soaring ticket prices. The long pause led to much debate among lawmakers and high-profile figures over whether the airlines’ decisions were influenced by internal and external political pressure.

United Airlines announced on Tuesday that it will resume flights from the U.S. to Israel on July 21, which will make it the first American carrier to resume service to Tel Aviv since the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war. The airline has suspended its service to Israel multiple times since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel. 

The lack of international airlines operating in Israel has led to a shortage of flights to meet travelers’ demand and soaring ticket prices, and caused major challenges for tourists attempting to leave Israel at the outset of the war with Iran.

“This resumption is in line with United’s longstanding commitment to serving Tel Aviv,” United said in a statement. “Throughout 2025, United has flown to Tel Aviv more than any other U.S. airline.”

Other carriers, including Delta, American and Lufthansa, have also announced that they will resume flights to Israel, beginning in late August and September. The resumption in air services follows the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) decision to withdraw flight restrictions for European airlines to Israel, Iran and several other Middle Eastern countries.