Israel’s commercial airlines are quietly preparing contingency plans to move their aircraft out of Ben-Gurion Airport amid mounting concern that Iranian missile fire could threaten aviation infrastructure, Miri Regev said Wednesday.

Speaking in an interview with Israeli radio station 103FM, Regev said carriers including El Al, Arkia, and Israir are prepared to evacuate their fleets to destinations abroad if instructed, drawing on plans refined during past escalations with Iran.

“We have not received instructions to evacuate the fleet, but we are prepared according to pre-established plans to carry out the mission if required,” a senior official at one of the airlines said.

For now, airline operations are continuing as normal. But industry officials said the experience of a previous evacuation during the Israel–Iran conflict earlier this year has left carriers better positioned to act quickly.

“In June, we were required to evacuate the fleet, and we did so in the shortest possible time,” the airline official said. “We learned from the June evacuation and took lessons from it, and we will know how to do it again if needed.”

During that operation, Israeli aircraft were dispersed across multiple countries, including Cyprus and Greece, with additional planes sent to destinations as far as Thailand, the United States and other parts of Europe, the official said.

Israel’s commercial aviation sector operates a combined fleet of nearly 85 passenger and cargo aircraft across five companies. El Al accounts for the largest share with 47 planes, followed by Arkia with 16, Israir with nine, Air Haifa with five and cargo carrier Challenge with three.

Regev emphasized that the Transportation Ministry is preparing for a wide range of contingencies, including the rapid relocation of aircraft in order to safeguard both the planes themselves and Israel’s ability to maintain air links for citizens abroad.

“We are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and attack,” she said. “Of course, the Transportation Ministry is prepared for any scenario — to move all the planes from here to Larnaca, Athens, Thailand — in order to bring all Israelis home and protect the planes.”

Regev said the message to the public is one of readiness rather than alarm.

“The most important thing to tell Israeli citizens,” she said, “is that we are prepared for any scenario.”

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