Israeli airline Israir gets its first Airbus A330 widebody for New York flights
The first Airbus A330-200 widebody aircraft for Israeli airline Israir has touched down in Tel Aviv after its delivery flight from the US. The jet is the first of two joining the carrier this month, allowing the airline to commence scheduled passenger services to New York JFK (JFK) in August.
Israir’s first Airbus A330 touches down in Tel Aviv
Israir’s first A330-200 (registered as 4X-BAK) arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on 19 June. Having departed Tucson Airport in Arizona the previous day, the aircraft flew directly to Tel Aviv, taking 13 hours and 48 minutes to complete the transatlantic journey.
Upon its arrival at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), the aircraft was greeted with a traditional water-cannon salute by the airport authorities.
The aircraft wears an updated Israir livery featuring a two-tone sun logo set against an all-white background with small Israir titles in both English and Hebrew on the lower forward fuselage, also in blue.
First Israir Wide-Body Jet Lands in TLV for NY Route
— C14 News Israel • Headlines (@c14israel) June 21, 2026
Israeli budget carrier Israir is poised to launch its Tel Aviv – New York route in August, with the company's first Airbus A330 landing at Ben Gurion Airport over the weekend. While Israel's aviation news has focused on…
The former American Airlines widebody (previously registered N284AY) is 16 years old, having first flown for US Airways in 2010.
Having been acquired by American Airlines through its merger with US Airways in 2013, the aircraft flew for that airline for around six years before being withdrawn from service in 2020 and placed in long-term storage in Roswell, New Mexico (ROW). Ownership of the aircraft eventually passed to aircraft trading company Jetran in June 2025.
At the same time, American Airlines retired its entire fleet of former US Airways A330-200s due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of these aircraft have remained in storage since, although some, like N284AY, are beginning to find new homes.
Israir will take delivery of a second A330 in the coming days from the same source. To be registered 4X-BAL, the aircraft is the former N295AY, another 16-year-old airframe.
The company reportedly acquired both former American Airlines aircraft under a deal said to be worth around $85 million, enabling Israir to commence the carrier’s first long-haul operations for over a decade.
Israir’s A330s are a “defining moment” for the airline
Speaking about the acquisition of the new widebody jets, Israir’s CEO Uri Sirkis said, “The landing of the first Airbus A330 aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport is a defining moment for Israir and for the aviation industry in Israel.
Completing the purchase deal and bringing the aircraft to our ownership, together with the completion of the dedicated training of our air, ground and maintenance crews, positions us for a new competitive launch.”
“We are proud to bring the Israeli consumer an aviation product with teams that speak Hebrew that will truly transform the route to North America – both in terms of service, operational reliability and value for money.”
The two Airbus A330s join the company’s all-Airbus narrowbody fleet of eight A320-200s, which operate scheduled and charter flights from points in Israel to destinations throughout Europe, each seating 180 passengers in an all-economy layout.
Israir plans daily services to New York this summer
According to Ynet News, the two new aircraft have been acquired to operate daily services between Ben Gurion Airport and New York (JFK) starting in early August. Until then, both aircraft will be used on short-haul flights for crew familiarisation training and to satisfy peak summer demand throughout July.
As reported by Israel National News, the company is expected to begin ticket sales for the New York route shortly and to launch a joint credit card club with Isracard, allowing customers to accumulate dollars for use on flights and vacation packages.
The carrier first reported in July last year that it had secured traffic rights to begin flights between Tel Aviv and New York, becoming the third Israeli airline on the route after El Al and Arkia.
However, without suitable aircraft in its fleet, the airline set about sourcing the aircraft that would allow services to operate. The airline previously flew between the two cities from 2004 to 2008 using a leased Boeing 767, but dropped the service due to escalating costs.
Then, in May this year, Israir announced that it had completed the purchase of the two widebody A330 aircraft, and said it intended to begin operating flights to New York during the third quarter of 2026. At the same time, the company announced the recruitment of 16 pilots and 50 new flight attendants ahead of the expansion.
Beyond its re-instated route to New York, Israir has indicated that it is also keen to begin flights to other US cities, including Miami, as well as operate services to other countries such as Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam.
Israir to offer three travel classes on its A330s
In a press statement, Israir confirmed that both new A330 aircraft will operate in a three-class configuration, including business class, premium economy and economy class cabins.
According to data obtained from Planespotters.net, both aircraft are currently configured in their former American Airlines layouts of 247 passengers, featuring 20 seats in business, 21 in premium economy, and 206 in economy. The aircraft were reconfigured from a two-class configuration in 2017 to allow for the introduction of premium economy cabins.
Israir’s first wide-body jet lands in Israel ahead of New York launch
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) June 21, 2026
The first of two Airbus A330 aircraft purchased by Israir landed at Ben Gurion Airport, with direct flights to New York expected to begin in early August;…https://t.co/3PGG2kCBWG pic.twitter.com/gc65LERZ7N
To provide support for the operation of the A330s, Israir has contracted with Cyprus-based Bird Aviation for line maintenance support on the widebodies.
Isair is joining the Tel Aviv- New York route at a time when US carriers United Airlines and Delta are not currently serving the route due to the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties in the region.
Both US carriers have said that they will only return to the route in September at the earliest, while fellow US airline American will not join them on the route until January 20927 at the earliest.
Featured image: Sivan Praj / AGN
