Three C-130 troop transport planes took off from the Eleusis airport near Athens early Thursday, to help evacuate Greek nationals from Libya, the Foreign Ministry stated.
Two of the planes were headed for the Libyan capital of Tripoli and the other for Sebha, in the southeast of the country, Ministry Spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said on Athens radio.
He said the operation was being led by Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis, who was on board one of the planes. The operation will evacuate the majority of Greeks living in Tripoli and the Sebha area.
The planes are due to land shortly after noon at the airports in Tripoli and Sabah to pick up more than 100 and 40 Greeks respectively, after receiving landing permission from Libyan authorities.
The Greek Defense Ministry separately said it had dispatched the frigate Psara to Libya, to assist the evacuation effort and had additional navy vessels standing by.
The European Union had earlier requested naval back-up in a bid to rescue up to 6,000 Europeans trapped in Libya.
According to the Foreign Ministry, around 300 Greek nationals are in Libya.
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