El Al Expands North American Footprint With Direct Route to San Francisco
El Al Israel Airlines is further expanding its global flight network with the launch of a new direct route connecting Tel Aviv and San Francisco. The non-stop service is scheduled to begin operating on October 25, 2026, anchoring the airline’s presence on the US West Coast.
The new service follows an aggressive global expansion strategy by the Israeli flag carrier, which has seen the announcement of 11 new international destinations across Europe, Asia, South America, and North America over recent months. The addition of San Francisco aims to directly accommodate a sharp rise in travel demand from both the corporate tech sector and the extensive Israeli community residing throughout the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area regions.
El Al will operate the route three times per week, with flights scheduled on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The 15-hour journeys will utilize the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, configured with three service tiers: Economy, Premium, and Business class. In a nod to the local sports culture, the outbound flight from Israel to California will be designated as flight number LY49, paying homage to the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise.
With this addition, El Al will boost its North American operations to a total of 45 weekly flights during the upcoming winter season, serving six major US hubs: New York (JFK and Newark), Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
