Israeli Airlines Scheduling Additional Flights from Ukraine

Israeli airlines are scheduling special flights to enable Israelis in Ukraine to leave the country, after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged them to leave immediately or at the very latest by Tuesday amid fears of a Russian invasion.

El Al will also operate additional flights to and from Kyiv. So far, it has scheduled a flight for Monday with fares starting at $250, according to Globes.

Arkia announced two rescue flights to bring out Israeli citizens from Ukraine to Israel, and said that thousands of Israelis have contacted it about booking flights out.

The flights will depart from Kyiv on Monday, and from Odessa on Tuesday. The airline said it’s ready to schedule more flights according to demand. The fare to Israel is $300.

Israir also said it will make special flights from Kyiv, with fares to start at $305.

At the same time, the possibility of departing the country overland was being looked into by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Sunday that neighboring countries responded positively, included Moldova and Poland.

At a press conference at the Foreign Ministry, he said that 6,050 Israelis in Ukraine have registered to receive updates from the ministry via text messages. About 2,000 of them are students. There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Israelis in Ukraine.

Lapid also said that in view of the fact that both Russia and Ukraine have very large Jewish communities, it is incumbent on Israel to act with caution. “Our position is to do everything possible to avert a military confrontation betwee Russia and Ukraine,” Lapid said, according to Ynet.