Israeli airlines, including El Al, Arkia, Israir, and others, are preparing to evacuate their fleets from Ben-Gurion Airport to various destinations worldwide in order to prevent them from being hit by Iranian missiles, Transportation Minister Miri Regev stated during a Wednesday interview with 103FM.
"We have not received instructions to evacuate the fleet, but we are prepared according to pre-established plans to carry out the mission if required," a senior official at one of the Israeli airlines said.
"Currently, our operations are running as usual. In June, [during the Israel-Iran war], we were required to evacuate the fleet, and we did so in the shortest possible time. We learned from the June evacuation and took lessons from it, and we will know how to do it again if needed," they added.
"Some of the planes were transferred to Cyprus, some to Athens; we had planes in Thailand, the US, and other places in Europe," the official explained.
Israeli airlines have nearly 85 passenger and cargo planes across the five companies. El Al holds the largest of those, at 47; Arkia has 16; Israir has nine; Air Haifa has five; and Challenge has three.
Regev: 'Prepared for any scenario'
"We are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and attack," Regev said.
"Of course, the Transportation Ministry is prepared for any scenario, to move all the planes from here to Larnaca, Athens, Thailand, in order to bring all Israelis home and protect the planes," she added.
"The most important thing to tell Israeli citizens is that we are prepared for any scenario," she concluded.