Registry
Does Air India support Israel?
Yes — Air India has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Hotels & travel companies · Companies that support Israel
Background
Air India's Israel record is a route, not a donation: no corporate giving, in-kind aid or political statements about the war were found, for the airline or for its owner, the Tata Group. What the airline did do was historically significant — in March 2018 it became the first carrier allowed to reach Tel Aviv through Saudi airspace, a corridor that reshaped India–Israel travel and was widely read as a signal of shifting regional relations. That was under state ownership; Tata acquired Air India in January 2022. Since 7 October 2023 the Delhi–Tel Aviv service has been suspended and repeatedly extended, alongside suspensions of other Middle East routes, and the airline has framed those decisions as responses to the security situation in the region rather than to Israel specifically.
Financial Times — First commercial flight crosses Saudi airspace to land in Israel Al Jazeera — Which airlines paused or cancelled flights to Israel after Hamas attacks
Timeline of documented support
Documented support
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations in Israel | 2018-03-22 | — | New Delhi–Tel Aviv route, Ben Gurion Airport (Israel) Opened the first commercial air corridor to Israel across Saudi Arabia. On 22 March 2018 an Air India Boeing 787-8 flew New Delhi to Tel Aviv using Saudi airspace — the first scheduled commercial flight to Israel permitted to overfly the kingdom since the modern state was founded — after Riyadh granted the Indian carrier overflight rights. The routing cut around two hours off the journey and was treated in Israel as a diplomatic breakthrough; El Al, which was still barred from the same airspace, publicly objected to the competitive advantage. Air India was state-owned at the time; the Tata Group took ownership in January 2022. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2023-10 | — | New Delhi–Tel Aviv route (Israel) — suspended Suspended the Tel Aviv route after the 7 October 2023 attacks and has extended the halt ever since. Air India first paused flights to and from Tel Aviv until 14 October 2023 "for the safety of our passengers and crew," in the words of an airline spokesperson, and then rolled the suspension forward repeatedly — grouped with other Middle East destinations during the later regional escalations — rather than cancelling the route outright. As of this pass the Delhi–Tel Aviv service had not resumed. |
Frequently asked questions
Did Air India donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of cash donations, but Air India has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel). See the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 4 distinct sources are cited for Air India. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-07-30
- Financial Times — First commercial flight crosses Saudi airspace to land in Israel ft.com
- VOA News — Indian Airliner Makes History with Flight to Israel via Saudi Arabia voanews.com
- Al Jazeera — First India-Israel flight over Saudi airspace angers El Al aljazeera.com
- Al Jazeera — Which airlines paused or cancelled flights to Israel after Hamas attacks aljazeera.com