Air India has pushed back the resumption of its Delhi-Tel Aviv flights to September 30, citing continuing security risks and airspace challenges in West Asia.
The route was previously suspended through the end of July, meaning many travellers had expected services to resume around now, but the airline has extended the suspension by two further months.
This marks at least the third extension of the suspension, which was initially pushed to the end of May before being moved to the end of July and now to September 30.
Over 40,000 Indian nationals currently in Israel are affected by the continued halt in direct flights, according to figures reported on the disruption.
In the absence of direct services, passengers travelling between India and Israel are having 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 airspace security situation closer to the new date before resuming ticket sales.
The airline is offering full refunds to passengers with existing bookings affected by the extended suspension.
The extension follows continued coordination between international aviation bodies and India’s Ministry of External Affairs on the regional security situation.
Israeli carrier El Al has resumed full operations since Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv fully reopened in April after a ceasefire, even as Air India keeps its Delhi-Tel Aviv route suspended.
Several other major international carriers have also kept their Tel Aviv services suspended or scaled back in recent months, reflecting a broader industry caution around the airspace despite the ceasefire.
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.
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.
(Image: Photo by Eluveitie (Beata May), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
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