Israel is set to gradually reopen the country’s airspace for outbound flights on Sunday morning, allowing thousands of foreigners stuck in the country since the US-Israel offensive on Iran was launched last weekend to begin flying home, and Israelis to leave the country.
The move comes as Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was partially reopened Wednesday night for inbound flights, to help repatriate some 120,000 Israelis stranded abroad since the country’s airspace was shut.
The closure of the country’s main international gateway initially left some 37,000 tourists in the country, scrambling to get back home. Not knowing when outbound flights from Ben Gurion Airport would resume, more than 9,000 tourists have left the country via land border crossings, according to the Tourism Ministry, leaving the current number still in Israel at around 28,000.
Starting Sunday at 8 a.m., a maximum of two narrow-body aircraft will be permitted to depart per hour from Ben Gurion Airport, with no more than 70 passengers per flight. The number of outbound flights is tied to the number of repatriation flights currently approved by the Transportation Ministry and security authorities.
Passengers leaving on flights operated by Israeli airlines El Al, Israir, Arkia and Air Haifa will need to use the early check-in program from home and arrive at the airport about an hour and a half before departure. The guidelines are in place to avoid overcrowding and limit the time passengers stay on the ground at the airport, as missile and rocket attacks from Iran and Lebanon continue.
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The Transportation Ministry determined that 15 percent of all outbound seats will be reserved for humanitarian, security, diplomatic, or tourist cases. Israeli citizens wishing to depart on the flights will need to sign a form stating that they will not return to the country for at least 30 days from the date of departure.
Israelis arrive at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on the first repatriation flights on March 5, 2026. (Courtesy of the Israel Airports Authority)
Arkia said that starting Sunday, the airline plans to operate flights from Israel to Larnaca, Athens, Prague, Tbilisi, Barcelona, Sofia, Rome, Paris and Budapest.
El Al said it will directly contact non-Israeli ticket holders who are currently in the country and whose flights have been canceled, and will assign them to outbound flights to one of the 22 destinations to which it currently operates flights. Ticket sales for outbound flights will not open until those passengers have been placed on flights, the flag carrier said.
Israir said it will fly passengers on outbound flights to Budapest, Athens, Tbilisi, Larnaca, Sofia, Prague and Rome.
In addition, the Transportation Ministry announced that flydubai will be resuming flight operations to Ben Gurion Airport starting early next week to help bring back an estimated 5,000 Israelis stranded in the United Arab Emirates. Transportation Minister Miri Regev said flydubai will operate an air train to and from Israel.
“This will be conducted in accordance with the recommendations of defense officials and in accordance with security developments,” the Transportation Ministry said.
Illustrative: An Etihad Airways plane lands at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on October 20, 2020. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is also set to resume a limited flight schedule from its UAE hub to Tel Aviv.
The Transportation Ministry said that in the coming days, Israel will seek to expand the scope of inbound flights and outbound aircraft seats, subject to security developments. Israel is hoping to fly home all Israelis stranded abroad within 7-10 days.
Since the country’s main gateway was shut on Saturday following the joint US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28, more than 20,000 Israelis stranded abroad had returned home by Thursday night. Of those, 16,505 returned via land border crossings and maritime routes, while the rest have come by jet since flights resumed. Meanwhile, 21,871 departed the country by land and sea, according to the Israel Airports Authority.
An additional 6,040 Israelis were expected to have returned home Friday on 34 aircraft operated by El Al, Arkia and Israir from major European cities, including Paris, London, Prague and Munich, as well as from New York and Los Angeles in the US.
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