Israel's El Al Returns Boeing 777s To Service As Travel Demand Rises

El Al, the Israeli airline, said on Sunday, July 24, 2022, that it was restoring Boeing 777-200ER aircraft to its fleet to fulfill strong summer travel demand, according to Reuters' Steven Scheer.

Photo Insert: The airline owns six 777 planes with an average age of nearly two decades and has stated that it will return some of them to service for routes to Bangkok, Phuket, Athens, and Dubai.

Israel's national carrier grounded six 777s at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, suspending all flights between March and September 2020 due to falling demand. It had already withdrawn its aged 747s, which had been replaced by 15 new Dreamliner 787 aircraft on long-haul routes to North America and Asia.

The airline owns six 777 planes with an average age of nearly two decades and has stated that it will return some of them to service for routes to Bangkok, Phuket, Athens, and Dubai, all of which are in high demand.

"The return of the planes will make it possible to expand the flight schedule in the peak season and even allow additional destinations," El Al said.

It went on to say that the aircraft, some of which were utilized on cargo flights, had passed all tests and upgrades required for them to fly again. According to figures from Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport, the number of passengers on El Al increased by 151% in June compared to June 2021.

El Al carried 1.6 million passengers in the first half of 2022, up from 400,000 the previous year.

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