In first, El Al plans to test feasibility of direct flights to Melbourne, Australia.

Ido Ben Porat, 27/11/19 11:25

El Al Airlines ended the third quarter of 2019 with a $27 million profit, a company report said.

The report also said that the airline will expand its fleet with three NG 737-800 planes, and that it int.ends to carry out test flights to determine if direct flights between Tel Aviv and Melbourne are possible.

El Al will use its new Dreamliner planes to test the route during the second quarter of 2020, and they will be the first in history to fly non-stop from Ben Gurion Airport to Australia and back.

At the end of the third quarter of 2019, El Al operated 12 787-9 “Dreamliner” planes. The final four Dreamliners, this time 787-8s, will join the fleet by the end of the first quarter of 2020.

El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin said, “Despite the competition at Ben Gurion Airport, the company has succeeded in increasing profits, enlarging its portion of the market by 2%, and increasing the number of passengers by 6.5%. Our fleet is becoming younger and for the first time, the average age of planes has dropped to below ten years. Our product is improving and we are witness to a continuous increase in customer satisfaction.”

“As part of our growth strategy, we are working to increase our existing activities and continue expanding the network of routes by adding routes to new destinations. In 2019, the company began flying to Nice, San Francisco, Manchester, and Las Vegas, and in 2020 we are planning to begin flights to Chicago, Tokyo, Dublin, and Dusseldorf.

“I would like to thank our customers for their belief in the El Al company. I am convinced that El Al will continue providing its customers with quality service and maximum comfort, as well as innovative technology and advanced airplanes. We are doing everything in order to ensure that customers choose us each time. I especially want to thank El Al staff, in Israel and abroad, who work determinedly and with dedication and who are partners in our special efforts to help the company succeed.”