United Airlines is set to resume the transportation of military hardware to Israel on passenger flights, according to shipping data reviewed by investigative groups. This decision comes after a hiatus of more than six months, during which the airline suspended the practice amid the outbreak of the war on Iran.
The airline is scheduled to transport five shipments of military cargo on United Airlines flight 90, a passenger route from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Tel Aviv, Israel. This flight resumes after a temporary suspension, marking a return to the previous practice of transporting military materiel alongside civilian passengers.
Destinations and Recipients of the Shipments
The shipments include one transport to the electro-optics wing of Elbit Systems in Rehovot, Israel, where the arms maker has a major campus. Another shipment is bound for Elbit Systems Land a division of the company formerly known as IMI Systems, located in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. Additionally, three shipments are scheduled to go to an Elbit Systems facility in Karmiel, Israel.
At least one of the shipments to Karmiel was specifically labeled as FMS or foreign military sales, indicating that the military hardware is destined for defense firms under Elbit’s umbrella.
Historical Context and Ethical Concerns
The resumption of these shipments appears to be a return to the status quo for United Airlines, which had previously used civilian passenger flights to transport thousands of shipments of military cargo to Israel. This practice was documented during Israel’s wars in the occupied Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as in the run-up to its joint attack on Iran alongside the U.S.
A new report released by the Movement Research UnitPalestinian Youth MovementPeople’s Embargo for Palestine and the Democratic Socialists of America found that United transported nearly 3,000 loads of military materiel over a seven-month period in 2025 and early 2026. The cargo ranged from critical components for fighter jets and tanks to helmet displays, electronics, and nuts and bolts.
Griffin Mahon a co-chair of the national labor committee of the Democratic Socialists of America, emphasized the significance of these findings: “This report shows that United, consistently and on a regular basis, ships military materiel that is used by the Israeli military for its operations in Gaza, in Lebanon, and against Iran.”
Volume and Nature of the Shipments
Using open-source methods, researchers tracked 2,761 shipments to weapons manufacturers transported by United aboard 160 civilian passenger flights between July 24, 2025, and February 27, 2026. The analysis of a subset of these shipments revealed 28 shipments of tank parts, 131 shipments of parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets, 67 shipments of components for other aircraft, and more than 100 other shipments of radio and communications equipment, nuts and bolts, and helmet-mounted display systems.
Belal Elsiesy a spokesperson for the Palestinian Youth Movement, highlighted the direct connection between these shipments and alleged war crimes: “We’ve seen parts directly tied to the carrying out of the genocide, from armored tank sights and gunner display units to the bomb-release units of the F-35.”
Domestic Routes and Ethical Implications
The cargo shipments were not limited to flights bound for Israel. Many of the shipments arrived at Newark on domestic flights from cities across the U.S., including Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, Houston International Airport, Atlanta International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, along with Washington’s Dulles International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
The domestic route with the most shipments in the period analyzed was a United flight from Dallas–Fort Worth to Houston, aboard which the airline transported 128 shipments. This was followed by 90 domestic shipments onboard a United flight from Houston to Newark.
The use of civilian infrastructure to carry weapons components to a belligerent in the midst of open conflict raised ethical questions for the researchers. Abdullah an investigator with Movement Research, stated: “There are ammunition handling systems and F-35 parts and tank sites that are being transported on these flights, without passengers actually knowing.”
Most of the shipments going directly to Israel — 2,565 in total — were carried aboard United flights 84 and 90, passenger flights that travel directly from Newark to Tel Aviv. Newark served as the primary hub for United’s shipments to Israel, with all but 45 of the shipments in the documented period arriving in Israel from there.
The report found no evidence that United transported any explicitly hazardous material aboard passenger flights. However, the ethical implications of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes remain a contentious issue.
