As first repatriation flights land at Ben Gurion, official says 2,800 Israelis expected to fly home today

The first two flights bringing Israeli citizens back to Israel from Larnaca in Cyprus land at Ben Gurion Airport as the Israel Airports Authority says 2,800 are expected to return home today.

Between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis have been stranded by the aerial war between Israel and Iran that has shuttered Israeli airspace.

“Our aim is to bring back as many people as possible, but it is more important that they are safe,” Israel Airports Authority CEO Sharon Kedmi tells Army Radio.

“We are carrying out assessments on an hourly basis,” he says.

A statement from the airports authority says that the return operation “is being managed in stages based on the level of risk and current security assessments, with a strong emphasis on the safety of passengers, aircrews and aircraft.”

It urges the public not to go to Ben Gurion Airport to greet arriving passengers or order taxis to pick them up from the airport due to “the current security situation.”