Two flights carrying hundreds of Israelis landed at a mostly empty Ben-Gurion airport Wednesday morning, kicking off a large-scale repatriation mission aimed at bringing home some 100,000 Israelis stuck abroad since the start of the conflict with Iran Friday.
Israel’s airspace has been closed since the Israel Defense Forces began carrying out airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program military installations in a surprise attack early Friday morning, drawing heavy ballistic missile fire from Iran. The closure has left many thousands of traveling Israelis caught off guard by the operation scrambling for a way to get back home.
Both flights that landed Wednesday morning, operated by flagship carrier El Al and local airline Arkia, came from Larnaca, Cyprus, which has become one of several hubs for those seeking to return to Israel and for foreign nationals seeking a way out.
More flights were expected to land in the coming hours from Athens, Rome, Paris and other European cities. The Israir airline was also taking part in the mission.
Transportation and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev was on hand in the Ben Gurion Airport control tower to greet the El Al flight as it descended toward central Israel.
“We are waiting for all of you,” Regev told the pilot. “We are very excited to receive the first rescue flight as part of the Safe Return operation, and are preparing for the airlift to repatriate all Israelis.”
Regev announced the repatriation plan on Monday and sought approval from airlines, aviation officials and defense authorities. During the rollout, some booking sites crashed due to a large number of Israelis rushed to reserve return tickets.
Under the proposed plan, no more than two flights per hour will be permitted to land at Ben Gurion Airport and only during daylight hours, since most Iranian missile barrages have come at night.
Shmuel Zakai, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, estimated that it would take weeks before all Israelis stranded abroad could fly home.
Maritime options via Cyprus were also being explored.
Arkia said 220 passengers were on its initial flight from Cyprus, and similar numbers were expected to arrive from Karpathos, Greece, and Tivat, Montenegro. Wednesday’s flights were focused solely on bringing back organized tour groups that were booked with Arkia, the airline said.
El Al, which did not say how many people were expected on each flight, was slated to pick up passengers from Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris.
Local carrier Israir said it would bring back some 500 Israelis on three repatriation flights from Larnaca, Athens, and Varna, Bulgaria.
Due to security concerns, special procedures were put in place to whisk arrivals out of the airport as quickly as possible, including increasing airport staff, the Israel Airports Authority said.
Returnees were set to be fast-tracked through customs and baggage claims before being brought to long-term parking lots or put on trains or free shuttle buses to cities across the country, the Authority said.
The public was asked to avoid coming to the otherwise shuttered airport to greet or transport arrivals, and taxi service was barred.
The airport has been a frequent target of missile attacks. Most recently in May, a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck inside the airport grounds, injuring six people and causing several foreign airlines to cancel service.