Arkia brings home thousands of stranded Israelis from Athens, Larnaca

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli airline Arkia said on Sunday it had repatriated 17,000 Israeli citizens over the past four days who were stranded after European carriers halted flights to Tel Aviv due the conflict in the Middle East.

Europe's aviation safety regulator EASA issued a bulletin at the end of September advising airlines not to use Israeli airspace.

That left thousands Israelis stuck across the continent. Many made their way to Greece and Cyprus in the hope of getting back to Israel before the start of the Jewish New Year last Wednesday. Flag carrier El Al Airlines said all its scheduled flights were full but it had added flights from both countries and boosted capacity from Paris.

Smaller rival Arkia said it joined the "national effort" and operated an "air train" from Athens and Larnaca by using aircraft from other airlines while Eastern Airlines participated with a Boeing 777 plane.

"After EASA's recommendation to foreign companies to avoid flying to Israel, Israeli passengers received many cancellations and found themselves around the world with no way back," Arkia said.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Christina Fincher)

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