Americans Permitted to Return Home Via Tel Aviv

Israeli flag carrier El Al has announced the allocation of additional aircraft in an effort to assist the evacuation of thousands of Americans stuck in Ukraine, with the goal to bring them back to the states via Tel Aviv, Israel.

The growing tensions, uncertainty, and saber rattling in the area have led to many deciding to leave while the way is clear, but airline services from the west have already reduced or suspended service to Ukraine, fearing a repeat of 2014's downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. 

El Al is one of the few carriers remaining, flying constant scheduled service between their home base and Kiev. Their services boast the most routes between Israel and the USA, with 5 daily flights to New York City and nonstops to Los Angeles and Miami. The operation was approved by El Al CEO Avigal Soreq following multiple advisories around the world to leave while the way is free and clear. If hostilities begin, air carriers will find the region crawling with anti-air defenses manned by (possibly) jumpy young operators - not a recipe for stress-free travel. El Al's seeming fearlessness in the face of danger is not unfounded. It has its roots in their fleet-wide anti-missile defense systems, carried on each aircraft in their fleet. So far, they are alone in their use of countermeasures, making them the perfect operator to keep the travel lines open while tensions run high. 

Last week, the U.S. State Department warned American citizens to leave Ukraine, even going so far as to say that those who failed to heed the warning and were later captured would not be rescued. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters "The United States does not typically do mass evacuations. There are a range of means that individuals and Americans can depart from Ukraine, and we've been encouraging them to do exactly that." Until hostilities start, it seems, it's far easier to leave citizens to judge for themselves (and pay their own way).  

Soreq sees El Al’s services as a necessary duty as they step up to the plate. "As the national airline of the State of Israel and the main carrier between Israel and the US, we understood the necessity to assist American citizens in returning to the US from the Ukraine, via Tel Aviv.” 

FMI: www.elal.com