Arkia to operate repatriation flights for Israelis from six locations as airspace gradually reopens

Israel’s carrier Arkia says it plans to fly Israelis back home from six destinations as the country’s airspace is expected to gradually reopen overnight Wednesday to Thursday.

Due to current restrictions, Arkia is preparing to initially operate inbound repatriation flights from the following cities: Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Dubai, Bangkok and New York.

Ticket sales will be open for the general public, but Arkia customers whose flights were canceled will receive priority for placement on the repatriation flights. Arkia customers stranded abroad need to register on the following website: https://refund.arkia.co.il/canceledflightsarkiacustomers

Once registered, Arkia customers who have received a refund for their cancelled flights will be required to purchase a new ticket and will be credited the difference between the new ticket price and the original ticket price they paid.

The country’s airspace has been shut 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.

Once restrictions on air traffic at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport are further eased, Arkia plans to operate an air train of outbound and inbound flights using a fleet of 16 aircraft. Destinations include London, Bucharest, Prague, Budapest, Sofia, Barcelona, Paris, Batumi and Dubai.