Lithuanians being evacuated from Israel crossed the Jordanian border on Tuesday afternoon, a 15min journalist on the ground confirmed.
The plane is now expected to depart on Wednesday, at 12:30.
About 80 people, including citizens of other EU countries, were transported from Tel Aviv to the border by three buses.
“The crew is already on site, which is worth noting, because crew availability is often the biggest challenge in situations like this,” the official added.
This is the second time the flight to Vilnius has been postponed, BNS reported.
The evacuation of Lithuanian citizens from Israel began in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning. Among those evacuated are also Latvian and Estonian citizens.
According to Vitkauskas, 14 Latvians have registered for evacuation.
“I can’t recall the exact number of Estonian citizens off the top of my head, but there are several nationals from other countries. We’ve extended our support to our neighbours as well […] there are still some vacant seats and we expect the flight will be fully booked,” he said.
Asked whether the presence of the Lithuanian military transport plane Spartan in the region was still necessary, Vitkauskas described it as a Plan B.
“The Spartan will remain in the region for a while longer, but once the civilian aircraft takes off, our military aircraft will be released and it can return to its permanent base,” he said.
He estimated the journey to the Jordanian border could take between four and six hours.
“We expect that by noon, or slightly later, all passengers will have reached the border checkpoint,” Vitkauskas added.
'They will not have to pay' – PM
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on Tuesday told BNS that Lithuanian citizens will not have to pay for their evacuation.
The prime minister confirmed that some of the passengers currently travelling by bus to Jordan include Latvian citizens, but noted that “there has been no official request for cooperation”.
“Each country handles these matters independently,” he said. “Some are more proactive, while others view it as a routine process, given that the borders remain open and foreign nationals are able to leave Israel by their own means”.
Updated: new information.
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