El Al readies rescue flights as Israel set to gradually reopen airspace next week

Key Highlights

• “I have instructed Civil Aviation Authority head Shmuel Zakay to meet with Israeli airlines so that they are prepared for the opening of the skies in a phased manner starting next week — all of this, of course, in accordance with security developments,” said Regev.
• Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international gateway, has been shut for departures and arrivals since Saturday, when Israel and the US launched a major joint military strike on Iran and the Islamic Republic responded with barrages of missile fire.
• The airspace closure left more than 150,000 Israelis stranded abroad.
• Once the country’s airspace gradually reopens, El Al plans to pick up Israelis from New York, Miami, and Los Angeles in the US; and Bangkok and Phuket in Southeast Asia.
• Across Europe, flights will be operated from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan, Paris, Budapest, Tbilisi, Sofia, Warsaw, Bucharest, Madrid, London, Barcelona, ​​Geneva, Amsterdam, Munich, and Zurich.