El Al to return Boeing 777 fleet to service amid surge in travel

Israeli flag carrier El Al has decided to return Boeing 777 aircraft to active operations in order to meet passenger demand for air travel during the summer season, local media reported.

Speaking to lnn on July 24, 2022, El Al’s vice president of commercial operations Yarom Vadish confirmed that the carrier plans to restart operations with some Boeing 777-200ER jets in July. Vadish did not specify whether the airline will reactivate all five planes which were temporarily parked between March and September 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus-related air travel restrictions. The wide-body aircraft are expected to serve the busiest carrier’s routes to Bangkok (BKK), Phuket (HKT), Athens (ATH) and Dubai (DXB).

“The return of the 777 aircraft is really good news, and it will allow us to offer our customers additional flights to diverse destinations in comfort and safety,” Vadish was cited as saying.

According to the executive, the airline has already completed all necessary tests and maintenance to make the Boeing 777s fit for the return to service.

El Al currently operates a monogamous fleet consisting of a total of 45 Boeing family planes, including 16 737-800s, eight 737-900ERs, three 787-8 Dreamliners, 12 787-9 Dreamliners, and six 777-200ERs. The average age of El Al Boeing 777 jets is 19.1 years, Planespotters.net data indicates.