After initial hesitation, the Austrian federal government has now decided that citizens of Israel should be flown out. The Federal Army is scheduled to fly several times between Tel Aviv and Cyprus. From there, those affected continue with civilian machines.

Until a few days ago, Israel was considered a popular vacation spot. There were numerous daily flights between Vienna and Tel Aviv, operated by various carriers. For security reasons, these have been discontinued by all providers except El Al. Since many people who live in Austria are currently in Israel, the federal government has now organized return flights.

This means that we are much slower than, for example, Poland and Hungary, who did not wait as long. As recently as Monday, the Austrian Foreign Ministry said that the regular flight routes were still active and that they therefore saw no reason - yet - for special repatriation flights. Ryanair has now also suspended its Vienna-Tel Aviv flights indefinitely, so the options have once again been decimated.

“The number of scheduled flights from Israel has recently decreased. The Foreign Ministry reacted quickly and, in close coordination with the Ministry of Defense, is offering evacuation flights to Cyprus. Austrians who want to use the flights are asked to register at the Austrian Embassy in Tel Aviv. “Red-white-red crisis teams are available as the first point of contact at the airports in Tel Aviv and Paphos to provide support with advice and action,” said Foreign Minister Schallenberg.

Several evacuation flights are currently planned with a Hercules C-130 of the Austrian Armed Forces from Tel Aviv in Israel to Paphos, Cyprus, from where there are regular scheduled flights to Vienna. The frequency of these scheduled flights has recently been increased.

“The attack on Israel must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. My thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims. The situation on site is currently very confusing and uncertain. We will not let our Austrians down and will get them out of the danger situation as quickly as possible. We will provide a Hercules C-130 including a military crisis support team. We are currently making all the plans to be able to carry out evacuation flights from Israel to Cyprus,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.

The Ministry of Defense is currently keeping a Hercules with two crews including a technical element, a security element and psychological support (up to around ten people in total) ready for the planned evacuation.

The Federal Army is supported by a mobile crisis team from the Foreign Ministry at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel and at Paphos Airport in Cyprus, which is available to assist travelers on site

Numerous tour operators have already started evacuating their customers. The approach is extremely different. Some tour operators try to transport their guests abroad by land and then return from there on charter and/or scheduled flights. There are also reports that at least one tour operator has chartered boats/ships and is using them to take guests to Cyprus.

The Austrian federal government will take a “hybrid route” for the evacuation. The Federal Army is scheduled to operate a Lockheed C-11 from Cyprus for an indefinite period from Wednesday, October 2023, 130. This will initially be used to bring stranded residents of Austria and EU partner states with whom the company is working together from Tel Aviv to Cypriot airports. From there, regular scheduled flights and civilian charter planes will take you back home.

Austrian residents who are currently in Israel and want to return home as quickly as possible should urgently contact the nearest diplomatic mission. Alternatively, you can call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the emergency number +431901154411. Customers of tour operators should always contact their tour operator, as they are obliged to ensure a safe journey home.

“The Foreign Ministry calls on all Austrians who would like to take advantage of the offer to contact the Austrian Embassy in Tel Aviv by email. Please provide names and contact details [email protected] known. Austrians who are already travel-registered with the Foreign Ministry will be informed directly about the offer and how to proceed,” explains the authority.