American Airlines has formally extended the suspension of its long-haul services to both Tel Aviv and Doha through January 6, 2027, the carrier confirmed on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The move sets American on a markedly different course from rivals United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, both of which still plan to resume Israeli service in early September.
When American finally relaunches its New York JFK-Tel Aviv Boeing 787-9 route on January 6, 2027, the Oneworld carrier will have been absent from Israel for three years and three months. The original suspension was put in place in October 2023 following the outbreak of regional conflict, and what was initially expected to be a brief operational pause has now stretched into one of the longest service withdrawals by any major U.S. carrier.
The Philadelphia-Doha service, operated with the same 787-9 widebody, has been similarly pushed back, with American citing continuing tensions tied to the Iran conflict and uncertainty over whether a lasting diplomatic settlement can be reached. The two routes are now expected to restart on the same day β a coordinated relaunch that requires crew certifications, security clearances, and curfew approvals at both Ben Gurion and Hamad International airports.
The contrast with United and Delta is striking. United Airlines plans to resume its Newark-Tel Aviv service on September 7, 2026, and Delta intends to restart JFK-Tel Aviv flights on September 6, with Atlanta-Tel Aviv following on December 1. That means American, the largest U.S. carrier by passenger volume, will sit out the entire 2026 holiday season on a market its two SkyTeam and Star Alliance rivals are reentering with new schedules and code-share partnerships.
The decision has commercial implications well beyond the two routes. Premium business and government travel between the U.S. East Coast and Israel had been growing steadily before the conflict, and American is effectively ceding three to four months of recovered demand to United and Delta. AAdvantage members hoping to redeem miles on direct Tel Aviv service will continue to be routed through partner carriers including British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar Airways β itself only recently restored to a limited Gulf network.
For passengers already holding tickets on the suspended routes through January 5, 2027, American is offering full refunds or rebookings on partner airlines without change fees. The carrier has not ruled out further extensions if regional conditions deteriorate.
Compiled from publicly available aviation news sources. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. This article is original editorial content; facts have been verified across multiple public sources.
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