El Al

Airline	El Al Israel Airlines אל על
Logo	El Al logo.svg
Logo size	250
Fleet size	43 (+ 4 orders) incl. cargo
Destinations	43
Iata	LY
Icao	ELY
Callsign	EL AL
Alliance	n/a
Company slogan	"הכי בבית בעולם"Literally: "The most at home in the world"Translated: "Home away from home" English speaking countries slogan: "It's not just an airline, it's Israel"
Founded	1948
Headquarters	Ben Gurion International AirportCentral District, Israel
Hubs	Ben Gurion International Airport
Frequent flyer	Matmid
Lounge	King David Lounge
Subsidiaries	Sun D'Or
Website	www.elal.co.il

El Al Israel Airlines Ltd (TASE: ELAL), trading as El Al (, "To The Skies" or "Skywards"), is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport. , it operated an all-Boeing fleet of 40 aircraft, ranging from the 737-700 to the 747-400, including one 747-400F and two 747-200F operated by El Al Cargo. Its head office is located on the grounds of Ben Gurion International Airport.

Since its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv in September 1948 the airline has grown to serve 48 destinations on five continents. As the national carrier of Israel, El Al has played an important role in Israel's humanitarian rescue efforts, airlifting Jews from Ethiopia, Yemen, and other countries where their lives were at risk. The airline holds the world record for the most passengers on a commercial aircraft, a record set by Operation Solomon when Jewish refugees were transported from Ethiopia. El Al is widely acknowledged as the world's most secure airline, after foiling many attempted hijackings and terror attacks through its security protocols. Only one El Al flight was successfully hijacked.

History

Early years

(1951)]] In September 1948, Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, attended a conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Weizmann was scheduled to fly back to Israel in an Israeli government aircraft, but due to an embargo imposed on Israel at the time, this was not possible. An Israeli C-54 military transport aircraft was instead converted into a civilian plane to transport Weizmann home. The aircraft was painted with the logo of the "El Al/Israel National Aviation Company" and fitted with extra fuel tanks to enable a non-stop flight from Geneva to Israel. It departed from Ekron Air Base on 28 September, and returned to Israel the next day. After the flight, the aircraft was repainted and returned to military use.

in Israel (1952)]] The airline was incorporated and became Israel's official carrier on 15 November 1948, although it used leased aircraft until February 1949, when two unpressurized DC-4s were purchased from American Airlines. The acquisition was funded by the government of Israel, the Jewish Agency, and other Jewish organizations. The first plane arrived at Lod Airport (which would later be renamed Ben Gurion) on 3 April 1949. Aryeh Pincus, a lawyer from South Africa, was elected head of the company. The first international flight, from Tel Aviv to Paris, with a refueling in Rome, took place on 31 July 1949. By the end of 1949, the airline had flown passengers to London and Johannesburg. A regular service to London was inaugurated in the middle of 1950. Later that year, El Al acquired Universal Airways, which was owned by South African Zionists. A state-run domestic airline, Israel Inland Airlines, was founded in which El Al had a 50% stake. plane being loaded at Lod Airport (1958)]] The airline was involved in several covert operations: In the early 1950s, El Al airlifted over 160,000 immigrants to Israel from India, Iran, Iraq and Yemen as part of Operation Magic Carpet and Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. In 1960, Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was captured and flown from Argentina to Israel on an El Al aircraft.

In 1955, after using Lockheed Constellations for several years, the airline purchased two Bristol Britannia aircraft. El Al was the second airline in the world to fly this plane, after the British Overseas Airways Corporation. In 1958, El Al ran a newspaper advertisement in the US featuring a picture of a "shrunken" Atlantic Ocean ("Starting Dec. 23, the Atlantic Ocean will be 20% smaller") to promote its non-stop transatlantic flights. This was a bold step: the airline industry had never used images of the ocean in its advertising because of the widespread public fear of airline crashes. The advertisement, which ran only once, proved effective. Within a year, El Al's sales tripled.

Expansion in the 1960s

at Orly Airport, Paris (1965)]] Despite the purchase of its Britannias and inauguration of non-stop transatlantic flights the airline remained unprofitable. El Al's success continued into the late 1960s. In 1968, regular flights to Bucharest were inaugurated, and cargo flights began to Europe and the USA. The airline also established a catering subsidiary, Teshet Tourism and Aviation Services Ltd. All these ventures brought in a profit of $2 million that year. On 26 December of the same year, two PFLP members attacked an El Al aircraft at Athens International Airport, killing an Israeli mechanic. The military action was responsible for the demise of the LIA, which had most of its fleet destroyed.

On 18 February 1969, Palestinians attacked an El Al plane at Zurich Airport killing the copilot and injuring the pilot. One Palestinian attacker was killed and others were convicted but later released. Between September and December of that year, bomb and grenade attacks occurred at El Al offices in Athens, West Berlin, and Brussels. This wave of violence culminated in the failed hijacking of an El Al 707 by Patrick Arguello and Leila Khaled on 6 September 1970, as part of the Dawson's Field hijackings.

landing at Zürich Airport, Switzerland (1982)]]

Decades of distress

El Al acquired its first Boeing 747 in 1971. Many felt it was a risky purchase, given the high cost of the plane and fear of attacks, but El Al operations flourished after the purchase. Another 747 was delivered in 1973 and was used to inaugurate non-stop service from Tel Aviv to New York. In the air for 13 hours, and flying against prevailing winds, it was recorded as the longest commercial flight in the world. Outraged, the secular community threatened to boycott the airline. In August 1982, El Al workers blocked Orthodox and Hassidic Jews from entering the airport.

Operations resumed in January 1983 under receivership. The government purchased two new Boeing 737 aircraft and announced plans to acquire four Boeing 767 jets at the cost of $200 million. Within four years, El Al was profitable again. In less than 36 hours, a total of 14,500 Ethiopian Jews were flown to Israel. On 27 April 1994, El Al received its first Boeing 747-400. at Rhodes International Airport (2009)]] El Al flights were inaugurated to the Far East and, in 1995, El Al signed its first codesharing agreement with American Airlines. In June 1996, El Al recorded its first flight from Israel to Amman, Jordan. El Al's first Boeing 777 embarked on its maiden flight in March 2000. Later that year the controversy over flights on Shabbat erupted again, when the airline announced that it was losing US$55 million a year by grounding its planes on Saturdays. After the first phase of the long-delayed privatization of the company commenced in June 2003 and 15 percent of El Al's shares were listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the policy regarding sabbath flights was expected to change.

Company affairs and identity

Headquarters

El Al's headquarters are located on the grounds of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv District, Israel, near Lod. William A. Orme, Jr. of The New York Times described the facility as "utilitarian" in 1999. During 2005, the airline transported 3.5 million passengers, a rise from 3.2 million in 2004 and 2.8 million in 2003. 60% of the airline's passengers are Israeli. In 2006, El Al posted a $44.6 million dollar loss on revenues of $1.665 billion. The company is facing four lawsuits, two of which have been approved as class actions, which could potentially cost the company a total of $176.2 million. El Al spends $100 million a year to conform with the airline security measures required by Israel's Shin Bet security service. In early 2007, El Al opened a new King David Lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. New lounges at Heathrow airport in London and JFK International airport in New York had also opened in late 2007.

In 2007, El Al invested NIS 1 billion in the purchase of two new Boeing 777-200s that included an updated El Al decal. The aircraft are fitted with upgraded seats with adjustable headrests and legrests. Each seat is equipped with a touch-screen entertainment system. The first aircraft, named "Sderot", completed its maiden flight from New York to Tel Aviv on 26 July 2007. The second, "Kiryat Shmona", was delivered at the end of August 2007. As of March 2007, El Al's major shareholders are Knafaim Holdings (42%), the State of Israel (13%), and the Employee Union (8%).

After the United States Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Israel's aviation safety rating to 2 in February 2009, an IATA member has warned El Al, as well as competing airlines Arkia and Israir, that they may appear on the European blacklist of banned carriers. Giora Romm, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel, responded to the claim, stating: "We are in close contact with the Europeans," He added, "I don't know what the fuss is about. The Europeans' e-mail is strange. We are doing everything we can to improve security." The European Union has yet to make an official statement on the matter. El Al uses the Amadeus CRS system for reservation, inventory, check-in and online bookings.

El Al has a cargo branch, El Al Cargo, which became independent in 1997. As the national cargo airline of Israel, it operates to destinations in Asia, Europe and North America plus adhoc worldwide charters with its two Boeing 747-200F aircraft. Before 2001, when the Israeli air cargo market opened up to competition, El Al Cargo enjoyed a monopoly. Now its main competition comes from CAL Cargo Air Lines. In 2008, the airline was named by Global Traveler magazine as the world's most secure airline.

Airport security measures

Passengers are asked to report three hours before departure. All El Al terminals are closely monitored for security. There are plain-clothes agents and fully armed police or military personnel who patrol the premises for explosives, suspicious behavior, and other threats. Inside the terminal, passengers and their baggage are checked by a trained team. El Al security procedures require that all passengers be interviewed individually prior to boarding, allowing El Al staff to identify possible security threats. Passengers will be asked questions about where they are coming from, the reason for their trip, their job or occupation, and whether they have packed their bags themselves. The likelihood of potential terrorists remaining calm under such questioning is believed to be low (see microexpression).

At the check-in counter, passengers' passports and tickets are closely examined. A ticket without a sticker from the security checkers will not be accepted. At passport control passengers' names are checked against information from the FBI, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Scotland Yard, Shin Bet, and Interpol databases. Luggage is screened and sometimes hand searched. In addition, bags are put through a decompression chamber simulating pressures during flight that could trigger explosives. El Al is the only airline in the world that passes all luggage through such a chamber. Even at overseas airports, El Al security agents conduct all luggage searches personally, even if they are supervised by government or private security firms.

Flight security measures

landing at London Heathrow Airport. (2005)]]

Undercover agents (sometimes referred to as sky marshals) carrying concealed firearms sit among the passengers on every international El Al flight. Most El Al's pilots are former Israeli Air Force pilots. The cockpits in all El Al aircraft have double doors to prevent entry by unauthorized persons. A code is required to access the doors, and the second door will only be opened after the first has closed and the person has been identified by the captain or first officer.

Following an attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner in 2002, all aircraft in the fleet have been equipped with an infrared countermeasures system called Flight Guard, developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries to defend them against anti-aircraft missiles. Although comparable systems such as CAMPS are now available for civilian aircraft, there is no information to date about any other airlines deploying such a system. Switzerland and other European countries have expressed concern that flares dropped by the Israeli system could cause fires in the vicinity of an airport.

Security controversy and passenger profiling

Some critics to El Al note that its security checks on passengers include extreme racial profiling and have argued that such profiling is primitive, unfair, irrational, and degrading to those subject to such screening.

The airline was also criticized by the Hungarian courts for refusing to search luggage with the passenger present, acting against Hungarian domestic laws which stipulate that only authorized officials are able to undertake such searches.

Destinations

. ]]

El Al serves destinations on five continents with a well-developed European network that also takes in important cities in Russia, the Baltic region and CIS member states. The airline serves a number of gateway cities in North America and has expanded its service to cover central and southeast Asia and the Far East. It also services two destinations in Africa - Johannesburg and Cairo. El Al's only destination in the Arab world is Cairo.

For domestic flights, El Al operates to two airports in Eilat: Eilat Airport and Ovda Airport.

Codeshare agreements

El Al has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

{| |- valign="top" |

Air China (Star Alliance)

American Airlines (Oneworld)

Armavia Belavia

Czech Airlines (SkyTeam)

|

JetBlue Airways

Iberia Airlines (Oneworld)

S7 Airlines (Oneworld)

Swiss International Air Lines (Star Alliance)

Thai Airways International (Star Alliance)

|}

Fleet

taking off at Los Angeles International Airport (2010)]] landing at London Heathrow Airport. (2008)]] landing at London Heathrow Airport. (2004)]]

Present

El Al's historic, superseded livery featured a turquoise/navy blue stripe down the side of the aircraft, and a turquoise tailfin with the flag of Israel at the top. El Al's logo was featured above the front run of windows on each side of the plane in the turquoise/navy scheme. The new livery features a blue stripe with a thick silver border on the bottom that sweeps across the side of the aircraft near the wing, disappears over the top of the plane and reappears at the bottom of the tailfin. The El Al logo is part of the design, although it has been changed slightly since then.

In May 2007, it was announced that El Al reached an agreement to lease six or seven aircraft from Boeing between 2011 and 2015 after canceling its option to buy eight Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. It is unclear what model these aircraft will be. In July 2007, it was announced that the airline had re-entered negotiations to purchase two 787s. Boeing is trying to resurrect the 787 deal. Despite having talks with Airbus over aircraft, El Al stated in early 2008 that it plans to rationalize its long-haul aircraft around the 777 or 787. Having said this, CEO Haim Romano did not rule out the A350, saying that they would consider it if Airbus came up with "the right proposition."

Previously operated

{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse" |+ Fleet history |- style="background:lightblue;" !style="width:120px;" | Aircraft !style="width:60px;" | Introduced !style="width:60px;" | Retired |- |Boeing 707-300C | align=center | 1965 | align=center | 1992 |- |Boeing 737-200 | align=center | 1981 | align=center | 2000 |- |Boeing 747-100 | align=center | 1977 | align=center | 1988 |- |Boeing 747-200B | align=center | 1971 | align=center | 2001 |- |Boeing 747-200C | align=center | 1975 | align=center | 2006 |- |Boeing 767-200 | align=center | 1982 | align=center | 2008 |- |Douglas DC-4 | align=center | 1949 | align=center | 1967 |}

Frequent flyer program

Matmid is El Al's frequent flyer program. It was launched in 2004 following the merger of El Al's previous frequent flyer programs. It has five tiers: Matmid, Matmid Silver, Matmid Gold, Matmid Platinum and Matmid TOP Platinum. Points accumulated in the program entitle members to bonus tickets, flight upgrades, and discounts on car rentals, hotel stays, and other products and services. Points are also awarded for travel with partner airlines, as well as for nights at partner hotels and for credit card purchases. Matmid points can be collected on most flights operated by American Airlines and American Eagle, South African Airways, Sun D'Or, Qantas and limited Aeroméxico flights

However, points are not accumulated for any but full fares, and points also age - i.e. lose their validity.

Lounge

The King David Lounge is the name adopted by El Al for special airport lounges that serve the airline's premium class passengers. In total, there are five King David Lounges worldwide at the key airports at Ben Gurion International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, London Heathrow Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. All King David Lounges offer drinks, snacks, newspapers and magazines (Israeli and foreign), while some lounges also offer free Wi-Fi internet access. The King David Lounge at Terminal 3 at Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion airport is equipped with telephone, shower facilities and a spa; it has a separate section for first-class passengers.

Incidents and accidents

On 5 February 1950, one of El Al's DC-4s was damaged when it veered off the runway during take-off from Tel Aviv. There were no casualties.

On 24 November 1951, a DC-4 on a cargo flight from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam crashed on approach to Zürich Airport, killing 6 crew members.

On 27 July 1955, a Lockheed Constellation operating El Al Flight 402, was shot down by two Bulgarian Air Force fighter jets over Blagoevgrad, near Sofia, Bulgaria after it strayed into Bulgarian airspace in rough weather. All 58 passengers and crew were killed.

On 23 July 1968, El Al Flight 426 operated by a Boeing 707-358C on route from London to Tel Aviv via Rome, was hijacked by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine shortly after take-off from Rome-Fiumicino airport and forcibly diverted to Algiers. The hijacking ended after 40 days and is considered to be the only successful hijacking involving an El Al jet.

In February, 1969, an El Al Boeing 707 was attacked at Zürich airport. An Israeli trainee pilot was killed, with another eight people being wounded. In a firefight involving security personnel, one hijacker was killed, while the others were arrested. The hijackers were later put on trial in Winterthur, Switzerland but released following the hijacking of a Swissair aircraft one year later.

On September 6, 1970, El Al Flight 219 from Tel Aviv to New York, with a stopover in Amsterdam, was the target of an attempted hijacking by Leila Khaled and Patrick Argüello after taking off from Amsterdam. The hijacking was as part of the Dawson's Field hijackings, but it failed. 1 person was injured on this incident.

On January 13, 1975, several men, including Carlos the Jackal, made an unsuccessful attempt to destroy an El Al airliner. The men tried again on January 17, also without success.

On 27 December 1985, after several failed attempts to attack El Al aircraft, guerrillas of the Fatah Revolutionary Council attacked El Al ticket counters at Rome-Fiumicino and Vienna-Schwechat airports, killing 18 people.

Another terrorist attack was foiled on 18 April 1986 in what became known as the Hindawi Affair. A pregnant Irishwoman named Anne-Marie Murphy was about to board an El Al flight at London's Heathrow airport when her bag was found to contain three pounds of plastic explosives. These had been planted by her fiancé Nezar Hindawi who was booked on a different flight. Hindawi was jailed for 45 years, the longest sentence ever delivered by a British court. There was evidence that Syrian officials were involved and as a result, Britain cut off diplomatic relations with Syria.

On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862 operated by a Boeing 747-200F cargo plane, crashed into two highrise apartment buildings (Kruitberg and Groeneveen) in Bijlmermeer, a neighborhood of Amsterdam. The crash was caused by an engine detaching from the aircraft, knocking a second engine off the aircraft as well. The three crew members, one passenger, and 39 people on the ground were killed.

On 4 July 2002, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet shot six Israelis at El Al's ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport before he was shot and killed by an El Al security guard. Two of the victims died. Although not linked to any terrorist group, Hadayet, an Egyptian, espoused anti-Israeli views and was opposed to US policy in the Middle East. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation classified the shooting as a terrorist act, one of the few on US soil since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

On 17 November 2002, Tawfiq Fukra, a twenty-three-year-old Israeli Arab, attempted to hijack an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul. He was reportedly armed with a pocket knife, and attempted to break into the cockpit in order to fly the aircraft back to Israel and crash it into a building. He was apprehended by on-board security personnel. Fukra has denied the charges.

On 23 October 2003, an El Al Boeing 767 flying from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles via Toronto was diverted to Montreal-Mirabel International Airport and onward to John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario, where Royal Canadian Mounted Police tactical teams were on the ready. The diversion was the result of a "grave security threat", possibly a planned surface-to-air missile attack on the aircraft upon landing in Toronto.

In 2006, the office of the Attorney General of Switzerland reported that seven North Africans had been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to blow up an unspecified El Al aircraft in flight in December 2005. At the time of the arrest, El Al's flights between Tel Aviv and London flew over the Geneva area where a ground-to-air missile had been discovered.

See also

Transport in Israel

Notes

References

External links

Category:Airlines established in 1948 Category:Airlines of Israel Category:Companies listed on TASE Category:IATA members Category:Israeli brands