Airport officials in Israel said on 10 March that almost 40% of Israelis who were stranded abroad when Israel and the United States launched air attacks on Iran remain unable to return.
Despite the closure of Israeli airspace due to retaliatory Iranian strikes, the majority of the over 60,000 who have made the journey came by air and land border crossings from Egypt and Jordan, according to the Israel Airports Authority. Limited repatriation missions and departures have taken place at Ben-Gurion Airport, which has partially reopened, bringing in an estimated 39,000 Israelis on over 200 flights.
Israeli carrier Israir repatriated 310 Israelis stranded in Dubai after airspace closures following the US-Israel offensive on Iran.
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 6, 2026
Two special flights departed Sharjah to Aqaba, Jordan. Passengers were then transported to the land border and bused to central locations across…
Adding to the movement of people, since Israel and the US commenced their so-called “Operation Lion’s Roar” on 28 February 2026, 31,000 people have chosen to leave Israel via land border crossings.
Thousands remain unable to travel due to the cancellation of their flights, or shelter-in-place orders, or simply the soaring prices of the limited tickets available. Those whose tickets have already been refunded are obliged to seek new travel arrangements for travel in or out of the stricken region, in what is a very competitive marketplace with volatile fuel prices.
It has not yet been confirmed whether those with return journeys pre-booked before the violence began will be given priority when airspace re-opens. Some travellers have even booked private jets at fees more extortionate than ever.
Meanwhile, for carriers, the crisis has created chaos in addition to the constant danger of air strikes at Ben Gurion, after authorities there changed their minds about how many departures would be permitted, leading to passengers being informed they could attend the hub and get on a flight, only to be denied boarding on arrival.
Airlines have also been asked to prepare flight schedules in anticipation of the end of hostilities. The creation of such timetables is supposed to be rooted in prewar scheduling, but stakeholders have indicated that daily seat capacity will be increased, if possible, to reduce the waiting list. Contingency planning could include the deployment of wet-leased aircraft, but even if sufficient planes can be sourced for Israeli carriers from Arkia to El Al to Israir, staffing could remain the major obstacle to the provision of extra flights.
The Jerusalem Post has reported that some airlines could be considering the creation of “air bridges” connecting with locations such as Cyprus or Greece, some of the closest European territories to the Middle East. It remains to be seen how such plans could be negotiated, since being associated with proximity to the stricken region, coming under drone fire, and featuring in UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office alerts is already proving damaging to the tourism sector in Cyprus, Travel Tomorrow and other outlets have reported.
