"Those who want to fly can, there is no instruction or problem, just take into account that their flights back to Israel will be delayed," Transport Minister Miri Regev said Sunday evening at a press briefing in Israel, regarding the cancellation of flights by foreign airlines due to the security tensions.
One by one, airlines from around the world announced their decisions to suspend flights to and from Israel as long as Iran and its proxies in the region threaten to attack. Because of this, many Israelis have found themselves stranded abroad in recent days, unable to return to Israel.
"There are many Israelis who are still continuing their vacations, who want to return maybe in two weeks, maybe in three weeks, maybe in a month," Regev said. "Currently, the number of Israelis we understand who want to return is about 3,000." She added that: "Although there is no security impediment to flying from and to Israel even these days, some foreign companies have decided to suspend flights to Israel or reduce them for their own internal reasons."
The Transport Minister promised that "starting in two days, Israelis will have flights from Athens and Cyprus to Israel 24/7." Referring to reports about an attempt to operate sea shuttles to return Israelis from Greece, Regev said: "Currently, we have the ability to return those who wish through Israeli and foreign airlines. If it seems that there is a larger number of Israelis who want to return or in the event of an escalation, we may activate the shuttles sooner, maybe as early as next week."
"The shuttles are based on ferries. The Shipping and Ports Authority has already agreed on the sea shuttles with a company in Cyprus, and we will close all the agreements with them and all the security aspects with the Navy and publish it in an orderly manner to the public. We wanted to use the ships of Mano cruise line, but they are full," she added.
Some reports put the number of Israelis who are now seeking to return to home from abroad at about 150,000, the director of the Civil Aviation Authority Shmuel Zakay said. "We have heard the numbers that are being thrown into the air, but we are only dealing with the ones we know and there is a very clear mechanism to declare that you want to return from abroad through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; They say 'I'm stuck', and we know exactly how many people have called when they arrive in Athens or Cyprus. We will make sure each has a way to return," he said.
Regev added that "I could have said 'we don't have solutions', and 'get it together'. But in this reality, in which I know there are many who want to fly abroad and take time off, we made this whole arrangement. Those who are abroad, should take into account that their return to Israel may be delayed and that it may cost them more. Let them not think that if they are stuck in Poland or anywhere else that we are going to send a plane to bring them back. No, this is different from October 7."
Regev referred to a report in Ynet, which reported that she asked Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to instruct the Air Force to help Israelis stranded abroad by returning them to Israel on Hercules planes. She said that, in light of the Defense Ministry's reservations about the move that "no one is enthusiastic about the issue, there is no interest here of enthusiasm or not. The issue was also raised by me in the cabinet, also in a clear letter to the Minister of Defense, also in front of the Chief of Staff. In the reality that will oblige us to, of course we will use these capabilities."
'I asked the airlines not to extort prices'
Regev also referred to the high prices being charged by most of the airlines that still fly to and from Israel - with an emphasis on the Israeli ones - against the backdrop of the many cancellations by foreign airlines. "It is important for me to make it clear that we do not interfere in the price of the flights, it is commercial issues and that is clear," said Regev. "However, I asked the CEOs of the companies to understand the size of the hour and not to extort prices for those who are supposed to return from Athens and Cyprus in order to avoid a situation where a family that traveled to a further destination and paid for a plane ticket for it, also has to pay double the price for their return to Israel."
The Minister of Transportation added: "I know that the CEOs understand the importance of the matter and definitely intend to take it into account. The state cannot subsidize it. People go abroad, on vacation, and they have to understand that if they go abroad during a war, it might cost them more or they will have to stay a few more days at their destination until they return to Israel. Every citizen should use his own judgment. Regardless, I will try to check with the Minister of Finance to see if we have an option to help, at least from Athens to Israel, but I make no promises."
Officials in the aviation industry, who were present at the event, told Ynet that they were invited to a work meeting - and to their surprise, they were not informed that there would be a press conference.