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Israeli carrier Israir has taken delivery of the first of two Airbus A330-200 jets set to join the airline this month. The former American Airlines widebody — which has been in storage for over six years after it was mothballed during the COVID pandemic — flew into Israel from the US via a stopover in Cyprus.
The second A330 is expected to arrive early next week as part of a deal worth roughly $85 million, enabling Israir’s first long-haul operations for over a decade. The Israeli airline plans to launch a new route from Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) to 
New York JFK Airport (JFK) in early August.
Israir Welcomes First A330 In Tel Aviv
Israir’s first A330-200 (registration: 4X-BAK) touched down at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday, becoming the first widebody aircraft in the carrier’s fleet for almost two decades. Photographs posted by Rami Mizrahi show the moment the A330 arrived and was met by a traditional water cannon salute.
The former US Airways and 
American Airlines jet is a 16-year-old airframe delivered to US Airways back in 2010, and previously flew under the registration N284AY. It was retired by American in February 2020 and entered long-term storage at Roswell (ROW) in New Mexico, eventually passing into the ownership of Texas-based company Jetran.
Israir’s other A330, 4X-BAL, is expected next week — this is also a 16-year-old former US Airways and American jet, and was previously registered as N285AY. Both jets will join the carrier’s all-Airbus A320 fleet, which consists of eight A320-200 narrowbodies seating up to 180 passengers in economy. Israir CEO Uri Sirkis commented,
“The landing of the first Airbus A330 aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport is a formative moment for Israir and for Israeli aviation. Completing the purchase and bringing the aircraft into our ownership, together with the dedicated training of our air, ground and maintenance teams, places us in a new competitive position.”
New York Launch Planned For August
As Simple Flying reported in July 2025, Israir was given the green light to launch services between Tel Aviv and New York, becoming the third Israeli airline to obtain this approval, alongside El Al and Arkia. However, as Israir only had an all-A320 fleet at the time, it struck an $85 million deal to acquire these two former-American A330s, which have the necessary range to fly from Israel to the US.
According to Ynet News, both A330s will initially be deployed on Israir’s European network next month ahead of the airline’s planned launch to New York in August. Beyond its JFK route, Israir has indicated a willingness to fly to other US cities too, including Miami (MIA), as well as several major Asian countries, including China, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East, no US carriers are currently operating flights to Israel, making Israir’s entry to the market even more opportune. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have pushed their suspension of service to Tel Aviv until at least September, while American Airlines has pushed its JFK-Tel Aviv flights back until January 2027.
American Airlines Won’t Fly To Tel Aviv Until 2027, Delta & United Plan September Return
Unsafe skies are preventing AA’s return to Israel.
Flying Onboard Israir’s A330s
Israir has also confirmed that both jets will offer three cabin classes, suggesting they will retain their former layout under American. Back in 2017 and 2018, American reconfigured the interior of both jets, shifting them from two cabin classes to three. This new layout could accommodate up to 247 passengers, with 20 in business, 21 in premium economy, and 206 in economy.
To support its newly acquired A330 fleet, Israir has partnered with Cyprus-based Bird Aviation, which will carry out line maintenance on the widebodies. According to CEO Sirkis, the airline’s full ownership of the jets and dedicated maintenance teams put it in a “new competitive position” as its long-haul ambitions become a reality.
Israir isn’t the only carrier to benefit from American’s retired A330 fleet. Vietnamese carrier Sun PhuQuoc Airways has also acquired former American A330s, taking eight airframes that were in storage for over six years. American controversially retired its A330 fleet in the early days of the pandemic, a move many analysts believe was a costly mistake.
