With the skies expected to remain closed as Iranian missiles continue to rain down, Israeli airlines have been gearing up to operate special flights to help tens of thousands of Israelis return home and others leave the country via land border crossings that have remained open.
Similarly to the last time the country’s airspace was closed, during the 12-day war with Iran in June, stranded Israelis and fleeing tourists have been taking to the sea, paying thousands of shekels to travel by private sailboats to and from Cyprus, to leave or come back home.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international gateway, has been closed for departures and arrivals since Saturday, when Israel and the US launched a major joint military strike on Iran. Since then, the Islamic Republic has been firing nonstop barrages of missiles and drones at Israel.
Israel’s airlines El Al, Arkia, and Israir have all suspended flight operations through March 3, amid expectations that Ben Gurion Airport will not reopen before at least Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers with very few options of travel. Meanwhile, many foreign carriers, including the Lufthansa Group, Wizz Air, and ITA Airways, canceled all flight services to and from Israel through March 7.
Swiss-Israeli Elena Sale from Tel Aviv flew a week ago, with Lufthansa’s Swiss Air Lines to Zurich, to attend her sister’s wedding and was expected to return to the country Sunday.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
“I haven’t been able to reschedule my flight back to Tel Aviv because they don’t have any flights planned, as everything is canceled until March 7,” Sale told The Times of Israel. “Right now it’s the weekend… but tomorrow I am expected to start working again.”
Passengers on a private yacht chartered by Sailor Yacht Club is leaving from the Herzliya Marina to sail to the Larnaca port in Cyprus, on March 1, 2026. (Courtesy, Sailor Yacht Club)
“I hope I can get back soon, but I don’t know how long it will take… I’m waiting until the airspace opens, and then I want to get a flight back as soon as possible,” Sale said.
The 26-year-old said that, once Israel’s airspace reopens, she is considering trying to get on an El Al flight, as Israeli airlines can be expected to be the first ones to fly again.
“But I’m also sure those flights will be pretty packed,” said Sale.
An estimated 172,377 Israelis left the country over the past 30 days and have not yet returned, the Population and Immigration Authority said on Sunday. About 37,400 tourists are currently in Israel, and roughly 700 have left, mainly via land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, since the Iran attack began, according to the Tourism Ministry.
With no plan in sight for when Israel’s airspace will be partially or fully reopened for the operation of repatriation flights, Arkia on Sunday launched flights using Electra Airways’ Airbus A320 aircraft to and from Athens in Greece to Egypt’s Taba International Airport to help stranded Israelis return home via land border crossing. Travelers stuck in Israel can leave the country via this route. One-way tickets are sold for a steep $449.
Amid strong demand by desperate Israelis stranded abroad, starting Monday, Arkia is adding flights to Taba from Rome in Italy and Larnaca in Cyprus, with one-way tickets sold for $549 and $359, respectively.
Elena Sale. (Courtesy)
For passengers landing in Taba and crossing the land border with Egypt into Israel, Egged buses will be waiting at the exit of the terminal to transport them to central bus stations in Eilat and Beersheba in the south, Ben Gurion Airport parking lot, and Tel Aviv in the center.
Rival Israeli carrier Israir on Sunday announced plans to operate flights to and from Taba and Jordan’s Aqaba airports but has not provided further details.
El Al said it was planning a schedule for rescue flights once Israel reopens its airspace, promising that its own ticket holders will automatically be assigned seats. The flag carrier estimated that currently about 15,000 El Al customers were stranded abroad because of the flight suspensions since the airspace was closed, and with every day of cancellations another 10,000 are added.
At the direction of Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the Shipping and Ports Authority late on Saturday issued a call for the operation of temporary shipping lines for the repatriation of Israelis from Cyprus. The call was for shipping companies and travel agencies to propose vessels with a capacity of at least 800 passengers for the operation of a fast maritime line between Cypriot ports in Limassol and Larnaca and Israeli ports.
Mano Maritime, which during the last war with Iran in June operated vessels to bring back stranded Israelis home by sea from Cyprus in coordination with the Transportation Ministry, said in response that its 2026 cruise season is scheduled to begin on March 19.
“Our ship is currently in shipyards abroad undergoing pre-planned work for periodic technical maintenance and upgrades in preparation for the cruise season,” Mano said.
Not everyone stranded abroad or stuck in Israel is waiting for state-organized repatriation.
For Amit Hari, a licensed captain and the owner of the Sailor Yacht Club in the Herzliya Marina, the phone has not stopped ringing since Israel closed its airspace on Saturday. During the last 12-day war with Iran in June, the club brought Israelis back home from Cyprus on private yachts.
On Sunday afternoon, a 40-foot yacht that can take up six to eight passengers at a time with their luggage left from the Herzliya Marina on a 30-hour voyage to the port of Larnaca.
Amit Hari, skipper and owner of the Sailor Yacht Club in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. (Courtesy)
“Yesterday, the madness began with hundreds of calls by people who want to get out, and Israelis who want to come back home,” said Hari. “Among the group leaving Israel today we have a mother and a daughter who live in Belgium, and came to visit family in the country, and a foreign worker.”
“Returning from Larnaca on Tuesday will be Israelis, most of them are doctors coming back from conventions,” he added.
Hari said that the prices in the market for private yacht voyages on fancy motorboats can reach up to NIS 25,000 ($8,000) per person.
“We charge our normal price for going to Cyprus, which is NIS 4,000, and includes a place in the cabin with a toilet, but you can get it cheaper,” said Hari.
You appreciate our wartime journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel