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Israel’s transport minister has announced that the country will begin a gradual reopening of its airspace between Wednesday and Thursday, after it was closed to civilian flights following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The first approved flights will be designated for the repatriation of Israeli citizens, a transport ministry spokesperson told AFP, noting that no outbound departures will be permitted at this stage.
“The airspace will reopen gradually starting already on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, and of course subject to security developments,” said Miri Regev during a press conference at Ben Gurion Airport.
The reopening had originally been planned for next week but was brought forward “following security assessments with professional and security experts”, Regev added.
The conflict has grounded most regular flights and shut shipping lanes, causing the biggest disruption to global travel since the COVID pandemic. (Photo by Michal Cizek / AFP)
Sharon Kedmi, Director General of the Israel Airports Authority, told reporters that operations would resume cautiously, beginning with one narrow-body aircraft per hour during the first 24 hours.
“After 24 hours, if everything works as planned, we will increase to two narrow-body aircraft per hour or one wide-body aircraft,” he said.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian traffic on Saturday after announcing the launch of what it described as a campaign of “preventive strikes” against Iran in coordination with the United States.
