El Al Sent Stranded Passengers Home by Sea From Cyprus

El Al, Israel's flag carrier, began running cruise ships between Cyprus and Israel for passengers unable to fly, offering the sailings free to Israelis trying to get home and charging those travelling in the opposite direction. “El Al is offering its customers the opportunity to return to Israel by sea on a special cruise departing from Cyprus to Israel,” an airline spokesperson said.

“El Al and Sun d'Or passengers whose flights to Israel have been canceled can choose this cruise option instead of a rescue flight, at no additional cost,” the spokesperson said, referring to the airline's charter subsidiary. “In addition, a cruise from Israel to Cyprus is also available to the general public, with one-way tickets priced at €550.” The ships sailed from the port of Limassol on Cyprus's southern coast to Ashdod, on Israel's Mediterranean coast south of Tel Aviv.

Why the airline was selling boat tickets

Israel closed its airspace on 13 June 2025 in the wake of its strikes on Iran, and civilian flights stopped. More than 100,000 Israeli citizens were thought to be abroad when the shutdown began, the Times of Israel reported. Repatriation flights resumed on a limited basis on 18 June, flown by El Al, Arkia and Israir from European cities and New York, but capacity fell far short of demand. By 20 June more than 50,000 Israelis had made it back by air, sea and land combined, on Transport Ministry figures.

The ships, and how many they carried

The sailings were operated with the Israeli cruise company Mano Maritime. One vessel left Ashdod on 24 June carrying passengers out, then departed Limassol on 26 June and docked back at Ashdod the following morning, with capacity for about 1,500 people per crossing, the Times of Israel reported. An earlier Mano vessel, the Crown Iris, had sailed on 19 June carrying what the paper described as thousands of stranded Israelis. Passengers who booked a berth were barred from also registering for a repatriation flight, and the tickets were non-refundable once bought.

Sea crossings were a small part of the overall operation but not a trivial one. Of about 45,000 Israelis who had returned by the middle of the operation, roughly 3,000 came by sea on organised sailings and a further 8,000 on private vessels, against 23,000 who crossed by land, mostly through Jordan, and 12,000 who flew, Ynetnews reported.

What the airline did not say

El Al's statement gave no sailing schedule beyond the route, no total number of berths and no end date for the service. It did not explain how the €550 outbound fare was set, or whether it covered costs. It also said nothing about passengers who could not reach Cyprus in the first place, or about how those eligible for a free crossing were to prove their cancelled booking.