According to information from the “Krone”, the Austrian armed forces are now sending a C-130K “Hercules” transport plane to Tel Aviv for evacuation flights. As Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) explained on the sidelines of his visit to Ankara, there will be shuttle flights to Israel from Cyprus; currently about 200 Austrians are waiting to leave the crisis area.
During these hours, a ‘Hercules’ with two crew members, mechanics, an armed security element and psychological supervisors is being prepared in Linz-Hörsching. According to current plans, she should fly to Cyprus tomorrow, Wednesday, and from there operate shuttle flights to Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv – Cyprus and then home
For the approximately 200 Austrians in the crisis area who want to leave, this means that from that moment on they would be evacuated on one of the flights to Cyprus and from there they would start the journey home. The armed forces’ preparations are currently in full swing.
Images: Israel’s mass march begins
U turn
Until recently, the Chancellery had said that leaving Israel was also possible commercially – either by land to Jordan – the borders are open – or by scheduled flight from Tel Aviv. However, a number of civilian planes canceled their flights to Israel on Monday or stopped flying. For Austrians in Israel – there are believed to be 181 registered travelers and around 8,000 Austrians live there – a citizen service has been set up on site. An emergency number was sent via text message.
States followed Poland’s example
On Sunday, Poland became the first country to send its own military planes to Israel to fly out Polish citizens. Dozens of states followed suit, some with chartered planes, some with government or military aircraft. There were also flights in the opposite direction: Israel used El-Al planes to bring thousands of soldiers stationed abroad back to the country.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
