EgyptAir Boeing 787 chartered by DeSantis lands in Tampa carrying more Israel evacuees

An EgyptAir Boeing 787 landed at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday morning carrying 47 Americans evacuating from Israel, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

It was the second time this week that a plane carrying those fleeing from the crisis in Israel landed at Tampa International Airport.

Project Dynamo connected the state with 23 of the passengers, said Bryan Stern, the CEO and founder of the nonprofit agency. He said those passengers included an Army veteran, a spouse of an Air Force veteran, and a child.

After leaving Israel, the plane flew to Cyprus, then Greece and Egypt before coming to Tampa. Along the way, the state Division of Emergency Management added 24 passengers. Project Dynamo was not involved in finding those additional passengers.

“Project Dynamo was not used to acquire the rest of those passengers on the flight and we have been in coordination with those that were in Cyprus since their relocation,” said Alecia Collins, spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

One of the passengers who landed in Tampa was Yolanda Inchauregui, 40, a resident of Washington, D.C.

She’d gone to Israel two weeks ago for vacation and was supposed to return Oct. 9. But airlines began canceling flights following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, leaving her stranded.

Inchauregui contacted friends and family on her social platforms, asking for help. Someone told her about Project Dynamo, which specializes in bringing U.S. citizens home from conflict zones.

Inchauregui said Wednesday she was relieved at having safely arrived in the U.S.

“I’m still very angry about the situation and the violence that has erupted in the region,” she said. “I hope this all ends soon.”

The Zins family also credited Project Dynamo with their return to the U.S. Stuart Zins, 61, of California, traveled to Israel more than two weeks ago with his wife, Gail, and their daughters Shaina, 23, Marissa, 21, and Talia, 18.

They said they had to take refuge in a shelter in Tel Aviv because of the attacks.

“We were in that situation for three days,” Stuart Zins said. “We couldn’t sleep, and we couldn’t change our clothes. It has been very stressful, but the most important thing is that we are here and safe.”

The state did not answer questions about how much it paid for this flight or provide more details about logistics.

On Sunday, a chartered EuroAtlantic Airways arrived in Tampa carrying 270 people, including 91 children. That plane was greeted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey.

“The state of Florida stepped up and answered the call,” DeSantis said Sunday.

Those passengers were among the first evacuees to arrive in Florida from Israel after DeSantis signed an order last week directing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to charter flights for stranded Florida residents.

The state partnered with Project Dynamo on that evacuation. The nonprofit agency has conducted more than 600 rescue missions to relocate nearly 7,000 people since it formed in 2021 amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

DeSantis on Wednesday tweeted about the arrival of the second plane.

“Florida has stepped up to assist our citizens in need,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

At a news conference in Manatee County on Wednesday, DeSantis said there likely be “another plane or two” coming into Florida from Israel. He said the state hopes to rescue between 700 and 1,000 people from the war zone.

DeSantis said the flights are at no cost to the passengers.

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management did not respond to questions about when the flights are expected to arrive in Florida, or how much the effort has cost the state.

Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau reporter Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.