Israel Mobilizing Air, Land and Sea Routes to Bring Citizens Home

Israel is mobilizing air, land and sea channels to bring its citizens home as the country’s skies remain closed under continued Iranian missile and drone barrages.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport has been shut for departures and arrivals since Shabbat, when Israel and the United States launched a major joint strike on Iran. Since then, the Islamic Republic has fired sustained barrages toward Israel, and no timetable has been announced for the partial or full reopening of Israeli airspace.

The scope of the disruption is significant. An estimated 172,377 Israelis left the country over the past 30 days and have not yet returned, according to the Population and Immigration Authority. The Tourism Ministry said about 37,400 tourists are currently in Israel, and roughly 700 have departed mainly via land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan since the fighting began.

Israel’s airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia Israeli Airlines and Israir Airlines, have suspended regular flight operations through March 3 due to expectations that Ben Gurion Airport will not reopen before at least Wednesday. Foreign carriers including Lufthansa Group, Wizz Air and ITA Airways have canceled service to and from Israel through March 7, further narrowing options.

With no clear reopening date, alternative corridors are being activated.

Arkia on Sunday launched special flights using Electra Airways’ Airbus A320 aircraft between Athens and Egypt’s Taba International Airport, creating a corridor for stranded Israelis to return home via the land crossing into Israel. The airline said it would expand the route to include departures from Rome and Larnaca amid strong demand from Israelis abroad.

Passengers landing in Taba cross into Israel by land, where Egged buses are stationed at the terminal exit to transport travelers to central bus stations in Eilat and Beersheba, as well as to the Ben Gurion Airport parking lot and Tel Aviv.

Israir has also announced plans to operate flights to and from Taba and Jordan’s Aqaba airport, though further operational details have not yet been provided.

El Al is preparing a broader rescue flight schedule once Israel’s airspace is reopened, stating that it “has begun preparations for a rescue operation that will start the moment Ben-Gurion Airport reopens for activity.” The airline estimated that about 15,000 of its customers are currently stranded abroad due to the suspensions, with roughly 10,000 more added for each additional day of cancellations. In the initial phase, rescue flights are expected to operate from major hubs in the United States, Asia and Europe, with the carrier emphasizing that “rescue flights for El Al and Sun d’Or customers whose flights were canceled will be provided with no additional cost, and only afterward opened for public sale.” El Al added that it is also examining the option of operating flights on KLAS JET aircraft to Taba or Aqaba, “subject to receiving the appropriate approvals from security authorities.”

Beyond aviation, maritime channels are also under consideration. At the direction of Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the Shipping and Ports Authority issued a call for proposals to operate temporary passenger vessels between Cypriot ports in Limassol and Larnaca and Israeli ports. The request specified ships capable of carrying at least 800 passengers for a fast maritime line.

Mano Maritime, which operated vessels during the previous airspace closure in June, said its 2026 cruise season is scheduled to begin 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.

As during the June closure, some stranded Israelis and tourists have turned to private sailboats, paying thousands of shekels for crossings between Cyprus and Israel while waiting for formal routes to expand.

For now, the effort remains contingent on security assessments and the reopening of Israel’s airspace. Until then, the country is activating every available channel, air corridors, land crossings and potential sea routes, to keep its gateways open and bring its citizens home.