Israel’s El Al restores Boeing 777s to service amid rebound in travel demand

An El Al airways plane is witnessed just after its landing at Pleasant airport, France, April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

JERUSALEM, July 24 (Reuters) – Israeli airline El Al (ELAL.TA) said on Sunday it was returning Boeing (BA.N) 777-200ER plane to its fleet to meet up with large travel demand during the summer.

Israel’s flag carrier sidelined six 777s at the outset of the COVID-19 disaster when it halted all flights concerning March and September 2020 amid plunging demand. Its growing older 747s had already been retired and changed by 15 new Dreamliner 787 plane on lengthy haul routes to North The united states and Asia.

The airline has six 777 planes with an regular age of approximately two a long time and explained it would return some of them to services for its routes to Bangkok, Phuket, Athens and Dubai — places it claimed are in desire.

“The return of the planes will make it attainable to expand the flight plan in the peak season and even allow for further places,” El Al stated.

It added that the plane, some of which were being utilized on cargo routes, have handed all checks and adjustments necessary to return to the skies.

According to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport info, the number of travellers on El Al rose 151% in June above June 2021. Around the first 50 percent of 2022, 1.6 million passengers flew El Al, up from 400,000 a calendar year before.

Reporting by Steven Scheer Enhancing by Susan Fenton

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