Norwegian is setting up a new repatriation flight from Israel on behalf of the Norwegian Department of Foreign Affairs. The flight will leave from Eilat Ramon Airport in southern Israel. It is tentatively scheduled to depart tomorrow afternoon. The aim is to help passengers who want to return to Norway due to the ongoing conflict. Travelers who wish to accompany this flight can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via e-mail: Publikumstjenesten.Krisestab@mfa.no.
This is Norwegian’s third repatriation flight scheduled over the past two days, helping Norwegians and other Nordic travelers return home safely. The previous two flights, which Norwegian arranged for yesterday and today, were to Tel Aviv.
Norwegian Government Flights Contract
Norwegian Air Shuttle has a four-year framework agreement in place with the Norwegian Government for defense sector flights in Norway and the Nordic region. This significant agreement, valued at approximately NOK 1.0 billion (USD 98 million), was awarded by the Defense Logistics Organization (FLO).
Commencing in the first quarter of 2024, the contract encompasses Norwegian’s extensive route network within Norway and the Nordic region. Various entities, including the Ministry of Defense (FD), the Armed Forces, Defense Materiel (FMA), and the National Security Agency (NSM), will benefit from this comprehensive framework agreement.
Airlines Face Challenges on Repatriation Flights
Due to the risks of flying in a conflict zone, not every airline has been able to respond to government requests for assistance in bringing citizens back home.
KLM issued a statement today saying it had deferred to the Netherlands Ministry of Defense in arranging a military flight to repatriate Dutch citizens from Tel Aviv safely.
“Earlier, KLM regrettably had to decide not to operate a repatriation flight. We wanted to fulfill the request of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to repatriate Dutch citizens from Tel Aviv, on the condition that the flight could be operated safely. However, based on the most recent safety and security assessments of circumstances in Israel, we decided we could not operate the flight. We took the decision with heavy hearts because we knew many people were looking forward to flying back to the Netherlands. For KLM, the safety of crew and passengers is of paramount importance.”