- Israel extended its total airspace closure until at least March 9, 2026, following regional military strikes.
- Over 150,000 Israelis remain stranded abroad as Ben-Gurion Airport operates under extremely limited and restricted conditions.
- Airlines like El Al and Arkia are organizing rescue flights and utilizing land crossings via neighboring countries.
(ISRAEL) — Israel Flight After Security Bypass”>kept Israeli Airspace under total closure until at least 1000 UTC on March 9, 2026, requiring prior permission for any civilian flights and allowing military flights only with permission.
The extended restrictions left travelers uncertain about when flights will resume, and forced airlines and passengers to rework routings, rebook tickets and adjust onward connections across the region as schedules changed.
Civil aviation faced tight limits under the current regime because any civilian movement requires prior approval, while military flights also need permission. That set Israel apart from other countries affected by the same crisis, with different timelines and varying degrees of restrictions across the region.
The closures began during a crisis triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran starting February 28, 2026, and Israel’s continued shutdown marked the longest closure among affected countries. Syria’s closure expires 2100 UTC March 7, the UAE’s partial closure expired 1200 UTC March 4, and Jordan’s daily restrictions expire 0600 UTC March 5.
Ben-Gurion Airport has been closed to arrivals and departures since the operation began on Saturday, February 28, stranding over 150,000 Israelis abroad and disrupting inbound travel for passengers who had planned to enter the country on commercial flights.
A limited reopening occurred at Ben-Gurion Airport on the evening of March 2 in an extremely restricted format, with plans to expand operations gradually from March 3 onward. The limited operations left many passengers still waiting for seats, and airlines had to manage changes while keeping flights within security and operational constraints.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced on Monday, March 2, preparations for a gradual reopening starting next week, potentially as early as Sunday, March 8, subject to security developments. Regev instructed Civil Aviation Authority Director-General Shmuel Zakay to coordinate with airlines as Israel prepared to move from a near-total halt toward staged operations.
Officials have described the approach as gradual, which typically means phased slots and constrained schedules as airports and carriers build capacity. Airlines focused first on repatriation and essential movements, with broader public sales and regular schedules expected to come only after limited flights proved workable under shifting conditions.
El Al prepared rescue flights from 22 destinations in Europe, the US, and Asia, positioning the flights at no extra cost for its ticket holders, before opening sales to the wider public. The carrier also set a process for humanitarian cases via a special form on its website, signaling that limited seats and prioritization would shape early flights.
Arkia launched flights via Electra Airways to Egypt’s Taba Airport from Athens, using a neighboring airport to route passengers toward Israel as airlines sought alternatives during the ongoing restrictions on direct operations.
Israir planned flights from Prague, Budapest, Sofia, Rovaniemi, Bergamo, and Grenoble to Taba using chartered planes from Trade Air and HelloJets, starting Tuesday, March 3, while prioritizing its customers. The choice of European departure points highlighted how carriers assembled ad hoc schedules to reach travelers scattered across multiple countries.
For many stranded travelers, air routes remained uncertain enough that thousands of Israelis returned via reinforced land crossings with neighboring countries, which remain open. The land option offered a fallback while airport operations stayed restricted and flight plans shifted from day to day.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned of high risks to civil aviation across Middle East and Persian Gulf airspace due to ongoing military activities, retaliatory threats, air-defense systems, missiles, and potential spillover, advising operators not to fly in affected zones. The warning framed a wider operating environment in which carriers weighed safety assessments alongside passenger demand.
Iranian airspace closure was extended to March 3 at 0830 UTC, with further extensions possible, adding to the uncertainty for airlines trying to plan around multiple national restrictions. With Israel’s airspace still closed until at least 1000 UTC on March 9, 2026, many passengers remained dependent on rescue flights, indirect routings via Taba, or reinforced land crossings to get home.
