The flights, arranged with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, aim to help thousands of Americans in Israel whose return flights were canceled due to the war.
El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, says it will begin operating six special non-stop flights at “full capacity” from Tel Aviv to New York starting Monday.
Beginning Sunday morning, the carrier says it will contact U.S. citizens holding valid El Al tickets that were canceled and not yet reassigned. The airline says it understands “the current number of flights provides only a partial solution and does not meet the high demand,” and may add more flights pending government approvals.
The U.S State Department has helped Americans leave the region through charter flights and, from Israel, via overland routes to neighboring countries where commercial flights remain available. It said on Thursday that the vast majority of have made their way back to the U.S. on commercial flights but some were evacuated in roughly 50 charter flights. — AP
