More than 20,000 Israelis return since start of Iran war, ministry says

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, March 5 (Reuters) - More than 20,000 Israelis have returned to the country since the start of the Iran air war that began on Saturday, the Transportation Ministry said on Thursday, adding that about 120,000 more Israelis currently abroad are seeking to come home.

Israel began to open its airspace on Thursday and allowed a handful of flights to land at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

Israel's airspace was ​closed on Saturday at the start of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which have triggered missile barrages from Iran against Israel, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded abroad.

The ministry said its data show 120,000 Israelis are currently abroad who wish to return to Israel and that the operation to repatriate them would likely take seven to 10 days.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority said nearly 300,000 Israelis have flown abroad in the last three months and airlines have said tens of thousands of customers seek to return.

The Transportation Ministry added that it was working to expand options for arriving in and departing from Israel by air, land and sea crossings.

Most Israelis have so far arrived in Israel via land crossings into the southern Red Sea resort city of Eilat.

Israeli airlines have been operating repatriation flights from European cities to Taba, Egypt and Aqaba, Jordan - adjacent to Eilat.

These flights will continue but Israel's four airlines - flag carrier El Al ELAL.TA, Israir ISRG.TA, Arkia and Air Haifa - have begun flights to Tel Aviv. While airspace is being gradually opened, only incoming flights are currently allowed, at a rate of just one landing per hour due to frequent missile fire from Iran.

"We are doing everything to return every Israeli home safely," said Transportation Minister Miri Regev, previously a Brigadier General in the military.

"With the opening of airspace, the return of Israelis to Israel began, and we continue to work around the clock together with all parties to expand the options for returning and leaving the country in accordance with security restrictions," she said.

Earlier, the first planes to arrive at Ben Gurion were Israir and Arkia flights from Rome, and an El Al flight from Athens. Flights from other cities in Europe, as well as from the United States and Asia, are also planned.

Ben Gurion said outgoing flights would resume on Sunday, but initially would be limited to 50 passengers per flight.

Israel's ​airlines have halted ticket sales between March ​15 and March 21 to allow customers whose flights were cancelled to be accommodated when the ​airspace opens.