Israeli Airline Will Bring Back Stranded Israeli Travelers
El Al, Israel's national airline, said on Tuesday that it had received governmental approval to take back Israeli travelers stranded in Athens, Rome, Milan, Paris and Larnaca, Cyprus, starting on Wednesday, on the fifth day of deadly attacks between Israel and Iran.
'We are preparing to operate recovery flights in accordance with the framework and guidelines set by the Ministry of Transportation,' El Al said in a statement, adding that these flights were already full. Priority for flight assignment was based on original flight cancellation dates and urgent medical cases, the airline said.
Israeli airspace has been closed for commercial flights since Friday morning, and roughly 100,000 to 150,000 Israelis who left the country before its surprise attack on Iran have been stranded overseas. Regularly scheduled El Al flights will be canceled until at least Monday, the airline said.
It was unclear when people who were visiting Israel when the strikes began would be able to leave the country. There were no outbound passenger flights from Israel to international destinations, El Al added in its statement. The Israeli National Security Council has advised citizens not to return home by crossing the border with Jordan or Egypt because of security risks.
In addition to the Israelis who are expected to return home via El Al, some stranded Israeli tourists will be returning to Israel from Cyprus via a cruise ship operated by the Israeli cruise company Mano Maritime. The company said a ship would leave Limassol, Cyprus, on Thursday.
The Times of Israel, citing a statement from Mano Maritime, said the ship could carry 2,000 passengers and that after the first trip, the ship would return to Limassol to pick up more Israelis. The journey, which the Times of Israel said would be run in coordination with Israel's transportation ministry, takes about 16 hours each way. Mano Maritime did not respond to a request for comment.
Some Israelis travelers are considering remaining abroad for now, given that there are few signs the fighting will end soon. Civilian casualties are rising in both Iran and Israel, where 24 people have died and about 600 were injured. Israeli strikes in Iran have killed more than 200 people and injured 1,400.
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