Israeli airlines boost flights to return stranded passengers after ceasefire

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By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -El Al Israel Airlines plans to sharply expand flights on Wednesday to get tens of thousands of passengers stranded during the Israel-Iran war back to their home countries and will resume regular operations this weekend.

After nearly two weeks of fighting, the operation coincides with the end of stay-at-home orders, lifting of flight restrictions and the re-opening of the country’s main airport near Tel Aviv and another in the northern city of Haifa. A ceasefire began to take hold on Tuesday.

El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, said it would put its full fleet to work flying to and from New York, Los Angeles, Bangkok, London, Paris, Rome, Athens, Budapest, Bucharest and Tbilisi.

The flights for the next few days are solely to repatriate people, and they can only fly one direction. An estimated 50,000 Israelis have been stuck abroad and, at the peak, 40,000 tourists were stranded in Israel after the conflict started on June 13 and airlines canceled flights.

Regular operations will resume on Saturday, the airline said. El Al operates about 45 Boeing jets including 787s, 777s and 737s.

Other Israeli carriers have, in recent days, begun rescue flights and the frequency of those flights increased on Tuesday.

Small carrier Arkia Airlines said it was bringing passengers back from Milan, Athens, Vienna and Larnaca in Cyprus. It added that it would resume its regular schedule on routes to New York and Europe on July 1.

Israir said it was increasing the number of its flights and would fly from Athens, Larnaca, Tbilisi, Rome, London and Budapest as well as Batumi in Georgia and Varna in Bulgaria this week.

Many tourists stuck in Israel have already left via border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, as well as on boats to Cyprus.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Cynthia Osterman)