Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia and Israir have been given the green light to prepare for operating repatriation flights on Wednesday to start bringing back the more than 100,000 Israelis stranded abroad.
Following the approval of the Transportation Ministry and aviation authorities, El Al will pick up Israelis from Larnaca in Cyprus, Athens in Greece, Rome and Milan in Italy, and Paris in France.
Passengers for these flights have already been assigned and were to receive notification Tuesday. Those who hold a valid El Al or Sun Dor flight ticket to Israel, and whose flights were canceled after the country’s airspace was closed early on Friday, are eligible for an emergency flight at no additional cost, El Al said.
The airline emphasized that priority for flight assignment will be based on the original flight cancellation date and urgent medical humanitarian cases. On Monday, the flagship carrier opened registration for stranded customers to map repatriation flights.
“All our crews and aircraft are on standby, awaiting further instructions from the authorities to operate flights at maximum capacity and as soon as possible,” El Al said in a statement. “Flights will be operated gradually, subject to government approvals, and we recommend arranging accommodation as needed.”
El Al also recommended that customers keep receipts of expenses, adding that “eligibility for reimbursement will be reviewed in accordance with legal guidelines.”
Israel’s airspace has been closed for departures and arrivals since the Israel Defense Forces launched a surprise attack on Iran early Friday, leaving those abroad with no way to get back and those stranded in the country with few options to leave.
Smaller carriers Arkia and Israir have not yet announced ticket prices for repatriation flights and are expected to inform passengers once they receive official slot allocations and departure times.
Arkia said that starting Wednesday, it will launch flights to bring back Israelis from nearby destinations Larnaca, Karpathos in Greece and Tivat in Montenegro for now. Wednesday’s flights will focus solely on bringing back organized tour groups that were booked with Arkia, the airline said.
All of tomorrow’s flights are already full, and passengers have been assigned in advance, Arkia said. The airline said it was also working on a schedule of flights from other destinations, including Paris and New York.
Arkia emphasized that it is prepared to operate in any time window that security officials approve — including Shabbat — and continues to examine with the authorities the possibility of expanding the operation. Flights are carried out only subject to approvals from security officials and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Local carrier Israir said it is preparing to operate three repatriation flights on Wednesday to bring back stranded Israelis from Larnaca, Athens and Varna in Bulgaria, following the approval from relevant local authorities.
Under the proposed government-led repatriation plan, no more than two flights per hour will be allowed and probably only during daylight hours, in light of the repeated nighttime missile barrages directed at Israel by Iran. Shmuel Zakai, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, estimated that it would take weeks before all Israelis stranded abroad could fly home.
For now, no passengers will be allowed on the planes that leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and are designated for the repatriation of Israelis abroad to prevent crowding at the terminal and to reduce risks.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry opened a digital registration procedure to assist the 38,000 tourists currently stuck in Israel to sign up for specially coordinated departure flights from Israel once they are available.
The ministry said the online registration form is being distributed through various digital platforms to incoming tourism organizers, hotels, tour guides and other industry stakeholders.
The ministry confirmed that it will consolidate and transfer the list, only as needed, to the National Security Council and the Transportation Ministry, so that coordination with airlines can be arranged to facilitate tourists’ departure from the country.