Israel’s national carrier El Al Airlines (LY/ELY) was established in 1948, the year the State of Israel itself was founded. El Al, which means “to the skies” or “upward” in Hebrew, has connected Israel to the world for 75 years, and has played its own part in the country’s security and politics since its inception.
The early years
The airline’s origins can be traced back to the Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah, which recognized the need for an Israeli airline to transport Jewish immigrants and supplies during the turbulent years leading up to Israel’s foundation. El Al was officially founded on November 15, 1948, and it launched its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv (TLV) using a piston-powered Douglas C-54 Skymaster military transport aircraft acquired from the United States. El Al famously brought the state’s first president Chaim Weizmann to Israel from Geneva on an early flight.
The airline’s first scheduled flights began in 1949, with two Douglas DC4 aircraft operating between Tel Aviv, Rome (CIA) and Paris (CDG). Charter flights to North America followed in June 1950, and were followed by expansion to Johennesberg, Nairobi and Livingstone later that year. The airline struggled to update its fleet initially, but became one of only two operators of the pioneering Bristol Britannia turboprop airliner in 1955. This aircraft enabled El Al’s first non-stop service between London and New York (JFK).
1960’s
As times progressed, so did El Al, continuously expanding its route network and modernizing its fleet. The introduction of the Boeing 707 in the early 1960s brought El Al into the jet age and cemented its place among the famous global flag carriers. The 707 connected Tel Aviv directly to New York, a route which was the longest commercial service in operation at the time. The 707 also marked the turning point for El Al’s fleet strategy, as the airline has only ordered Boeing aircraft since.
1970’s
If the 707 defined the 1960’s, the Boeing 747 defined the following decade. El Al was no exception. The airline received its first Boeing 747 in 1971. El Al played a vital role in evacuating Jewish communities from countries facing political turmoil throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, such as Yemen, Ethiopia, and the former Soviet Union. These missions were often conducted under highly challenging circumstances.
1980 and beyond
The 1980’s saw El Al roll out some of Boeing’s other jets. The Boeing 737-200 joined the fleet in 1980, and the 737-800 is still the mainstay of the narrowbody fleet today. The Boeing 767 stepped into the fold in 1984, and an El Al 767-200ER became the first scheduled flight to cross the North Atlantic on a revenue flight with a two-engine aircraft in April of that year. This followed the changes made by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Extended Range Twin Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS). The Boeing 757 completed the lineup in 1987.
El Al began the process of upgrading its Boeing 747 fleet to the -400 variant in the mid 1990’s. The airline’s final passenger 747 flight was operated in November 2019, and was one of the first of many operators to retire the type over the coming 2-3 years.
The airline also became renowned for excellent customer service and was one of the first in the world to offer Kosher meals.
Recent years have seen a more aggressive program of widebody fleet renewal.. The airline’s older Boeing 767-300 aircraft have been replaced with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, joining the existing Boeing 777 fleet which are increasingly being returned to service in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic. The airline operates a narrowbody fleet of Boeing 737-800 and -900 aircraft.
Today, the El Al fleet comprises a mix of Boeing widebody and narrowbody jets.
| Aircraft type | Total |
|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 15 |
| Boeing 737-900 | 8 |
| Boeing 777-200 | 4 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 4 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 12 |
Cover photo: Rami Mizrahi, JetPhotos.
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-768x378.jpg)
