With commercial flights in and out of Israel grounded for a third consecutive day, the Czech government is drawing up an emergency evacuation plan that would see citizens bused south to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and flown home from there. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on social-media platform X Sunday evening that two Airbus A319s and eight CASA military transports were on standby to depart Cairo or Sharm el-Sheikh at short notice.
Roughly 150 Czech nationals are known to be in Israel for tourism, pilgrimages or short business trips, while several dozen are resident long-term. The embassy in Tel Aviv is contacting registered travellers individually, but officials admit the task is complicated by intermittent mobile coverage and air-raid sirens. Under the plan, evacuees would first cross into Egypt at the Taba border post using chartered coaches escorted by local security forces before boarding Czech aircraft for Prague.
The Foreign Ministry is also coordinating with Slovakia and Poland to pool aircraft if demand exceeds current capacity. During previous evacuations from Sudan and Lebanon, the Visegrád countries operated joint flights under an EU civil-protection mechanism, sharing costs and consular staff on the ground. Similar burden-sharing is expected if the Israeli airspace shutdown continues past mid-week.
![Czech Government Prepares Repatriation Corridor via Egypt for Citizens Stranded in Israel]()
For individuals trying to verify whether they need an Egyptian e-Visa or any additional transit permits, VisaHQ offers up-to-date guidance and online application processing for Czech passport holders, saving valuable time during a fast-moving evacuation. Their country-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) lists current entry regulations and can generate the requisite paperwork within hours, which can be particularly useful when government charter flights are activated on short notice.
Corporate security directors have welcomed the advance planning, noting that even a limited window of safe passage can reduce insurance premiums and liability exposure. Companies with staff in Israel should update travel-tracking dashboards daily, ensure employees carry physical printouts of their Czech passports (required by Egyptian border police) and have proof of onward flight reservation. Travellers must also complete Egypt’s e-Visa form in advance unless exempt.
Legal experts remind employers that Czech labour law classifies evacuation costs as an extraordinary occupational expense; firms may therefore deduct them from the tax base provided documentation is retained. The government’s crisis committee will reconvene Monday morning to decide whether to activate the flight, depending on security assessments from Cairo and Tel Aviv.
Roughly 150 Czech nationals are known to be in Israel for tourism, pilgrimages or short business trips, while several dozen are resident long-term. The embassy in Tel Aviv is contacting registered travellers individually, but officials admit the task is complicated by intermittent mobile coverage and air-raid sirens. Under the plan, evacuees would first cross into Egypt at the Taba border post using chartered coaches escorted by local security forces before boarding Czech aircraft for Prague.
The Foreign Ministry is also coordinating with Slovakia and Poland to pool aircraft if demand exceeds current capacity. During previous evacuations from Sudan and Lebanon, the Visegrád countries operated joint flights under an EU civil-protection mechanism, sharing costs and consular staff on the ground. Similar burden-sharing is expected if the Israeli airspace shutdown continues past mid-week.
For individuals trying to verify whether they need an Egyptian e-Visa or any additional transit permits, VisaHQ offers up-to-date guidance and online application processing for Czech passport holders, saving valuable time during a fast-moving evacuation. Their country-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) lists current entry regulations and can generate the requisite paperwork within hours, which can be particularly useful when government charter flights are activated on short notice.
Corporate security directors have welcomed the advance planning, noting that even a limited window of safe passage can reduce insurance premiums and liability exposure. Companies with staff in Israel should update travel-tracking dashboards daily, ensure employees carry physical printouts of their Czech passports (required by Egyptian border police) and have proof of onward flight reservation. Travellers must also complete Egypt’s e-Visa form in advance unless exempt.
Legal experts remind employers that Czech labour law classifies evacuation costs as an extraordinary occupational expense; firms may therefore deduct them from the tax base provided documentation is retained. The government’s crisis committee will reconvene Monday morning to decide whether to activate the flight, depending on security assessments from Cairo and Tel Aviv.
