Israelis will be flying back to Tel Aviv and Haifa on Wednesday on 13 Air Haifa and El-Al flights from Lanraca airport.

Meanwhile, it was announced that cruise ship Crown Iris will arrive in Limassol port on Thursday to pick up stranded Israelis.

Hermes Airports sources said nine flights would be heading to Haifa and four to Tel Aviv, two of which had left early on Wednesday.

The first El-Al flight from Larnaca airport to Ben Gurion carrying Israelis stranded abroad after the hostilities began, landed before 10am, in the framework of ‘safe return’ operation.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev said the number of Israelis stranded abroad was between 100,000 and 150,000.

After flights were postponed last week, El-Al announced that it was preparing rescue flights from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milano and Paris, starting on Wednesday.

Passengers, who had left Israel on Tuesday aboard the Crown Iris cruise ship due to the closure of Israel’s airspace amid the Israel-Iran air war, wait to board a bus after their arrival at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

Israeli budget airline Arkia also announced special flights for this week.

The return of the Israelis is being carried out in stages, depending on safety assessments, with emphasis on the safety of passengers, crews and aircraft.

Due to the situation in Israel, the public was urged not to go to the airports to welcome the passengers or send taxis for them.

A view of the Crown Iris, a vessel which will be used to assist in the departure of Israelis from Cyprus, is seen off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the Crown Iris sailed out of Haifa on Tuesday and docked on Wednesday at Larnaca port, transporting about 1,500 foreign nationals out of the war-torn area.

Foreign news agencies reported that these people were participating in the Birthright Israel programme, which offers a free ten-day trip to Israel for young adults of Jewish heritage.  

On Thursday, as part of operation safe return, the cruise ship is expected to dock at Limassol to pick up around 1,600 Israelis in Cyprus who wish to return to their country.  

Throughout the week, the cruise ship, which can carry up to 2,000 passengers, is expected to make another trip from Haifa to Limassol and may be replaced with a cruise ship with a larger capacity.