JERUSALEM, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Two flights landed at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on Thursday morning, the first since the airport was closed on Saturday following the start of the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.
According to a statement issued by the Israeli Ministry of Transport and Road Safety, the first flight, operated by Israel's national carrier El Al, departed from Athens. The second flight, operated by Israir, departed from Rome.
The two flights, each carrying 170 passengers, were part of an operation led by the Israeli government to repatriate about 100,000 Israelis stranded abroad since the outbreak of the conflict. Some have already returned to Israel by flying to Egypt or Jordan and crossing into Israel by land.
Additional flights to the airport were scheduled for Thursday at hourly intervals by three Israeli airlines from several European cities, along with flights from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Haifa Airport in northern Israel.
The ministry also announced that departing international flights from Ben Gurion International Airport will resume on Sunday.
This will be subject to restrictions, including a maximum of 50 passengers per flight, remote early check-in only, a ban on escorts entering the terminals, and security screening near a protected area. ■
