Editing El Al (section)

==History==

===1948–1949: Foundation ===
[[File:ChaimWeizmann plane.jpg|thumb|[[Chaim Weizmann]] disembarks from the El Al aeroplane (September 1948).]]
[[File:El Al Connie.jpg|thumb|An El Al [[Lockheed Constellation]] (1951)]]

In September 1948, Israel's first [[President of Israel|president]], [[Chaim Weizmann]], attended a conference in [[Geneva]], Switzerland. Weizmann was scheduled to fly back to Israel in an Israeli government aircraft, but due to an embargo imposed on Israel at the time, this was not possible. An Israeli [[C-54]] military transport aircraft was instead converted into a civilian plane to transport Weizmann home. The aircraft was painted with the logo of the "El Al/Israel National Aviation Company" and fitted with extra fuel tanks to enable a non-stop flight from Geneva to Israel. It departed from [[Tel Nof Airbase|Ekron Air Base]] on 28 September and returned to Israel the next day. After the flight, the aircraft was repainted and returned to military use.<ref name="answers">{{cite web | url=http://www.answers.com/topic/el-al-israel-airlines-ltd | title=El Al Company History | access-date=2007-05-27 | publisher=Answers.com Premium Partner}}</ref>

The Airline was incorporated and became Israel's national flag carrier on 15 November 1948, although it used leased aircraft until February 1949, when two unpressurized [[DC-4]]s were purchased from [[American Airlines]]. The acquisition was funded by the [[government of Israel]], the [[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]], and other Jewish organizations. The first plane arrived at Lod Airport (later renamed Ben Gurion) on 3 April 1949. Aryeh Pincus, a lawyer from [[South Africa]], was elected head of the company. The first international flight, from Tel Aviv to [[Paris]], with refueling in Rome, took place on 31 July 1949.<ref name="answers" /><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/13400/edition_id/259/format/html/displaystory.html | title=El Al flies to rescue throughout the world | access-date=2007-05-07 | newspaper=Jewish Bulletin |last=Kanon |first=Sharon |date=April 7, 2000}}</ref> By the end of 1949, the airline had flown passengers to [[London]] and [[Johannesburg]]. A state-run domestic airline, [[Arkia Israel Airlines|Israel Inland Airlines]], was founded in 1949 in which El Al had a 50% stake.{{when|date=June 2012}}<ref name="answers" />

From its earliest days, the operation of the airline in keeping with [[Judaism|Jewish tradition]] has been a source of friction; when the Israeli prime minister [[David Ben-Gurion]] was forming his first coalition, the religious parties would not join unless Ben-Gurion promised that El Al would serve only [[kosher]] food on its flights and would not fly on the [[Shabbat|Jewish Sabbath]].<ref name="Shabbat">{{cite web | url=http://www.jewishgates.org/history/modhis/elal.stm | title=El-Al, Israel's Airline | access-date=2007-05-27 | publisher=Gates of Jewish Heritage |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010222124207/http://www.jewishgates.org/history/modhis/elal.stm |archive-date = 2001-02-22}}</ref> El Al owes its name to [[David Remez]], the first Minister of Transport, who based the name on a Biblical verse ({{Bibleverse|Hosea|11:7|HE}}).<ref>"They call ''el al'' (upwards)."</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.elal.com/en/About-ELAL/About-ELAL/History/Pages/Decade-40.aspx| title=EL AL Israel Airlines' History/The 1940s | access-date=2020-08-11 | publisher=www.elal.com Official website of El Al }}</ref>

=== 1950s: Adding cargo service and destinations ===
[[File:Curtiss C-46D 4X-ALF El AL LHR 05.09.54 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|A Curtiss Commando freight aircraft of El Al]]

A regular service to London was inaugurated in the middle of 1950. Later that year, El Al acquired Universal Airways, which was owned by South African Zionists.

El Al's cargo service was inaugurated in 1950 and initially relied on military surplus [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]] aircraft. The same aircraft type was used also for passengers transportation in certain routes.<ref>{{cite web |title=EL AL Fleet – Historic – Curtiss C-46 Aircraft |url=https://www.israelairlinemuseum.org/el-al-fleet/el-al-fleet-historic/el-al-fleet-historic-curtiss-c-46-aircraft/ |website=Israeli Airline Museum |date=30 July 2019 |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> The same year the airline initiated charter services to the United States, followed by scheduled flights soon after.<ref name="answers" />

In 1950–1951 El Al expanded its activities in Europe and added new destinations such as [[Vienna]] and [[Istanbul]], [[Athens]] and [[Nicosia]]. On 31 July 1950, the company celebrated the first anniversary of its regular flight program.

[[File:Immigrants 1951.jpg|thumb|Kurdish Jewish Immigrants from Iraq leaving [[Ben-Gurion International Airport|Lod Airport]] (1951)]]
[[File:Bristol 175 312 4X-AGB El Al FAR 08.09.57 edited-2.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Bristol Britannia]] of El Al at Farnborough Airport in 1957 just before delivery to the airline]]

The airline was involved in several covert operations: In the early 1950s, El Al airlifted over 160,000 immigrants to Israel from [[History of the Jews in Iran|Iran]], [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraq]] and [[Yemenite Jews|Yemen]] as part of [[Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)|Operation Magic Carpet]] and [[Operation Ezra and Nehemiah]].<ref name="History of El Al">{{cite web | url=http://www.elal.co.il/ELAL/English/AboutElAl/ | title=History of El Al | access-date=2007-05-07 | publisher=El Al}}</ref> In 1960, [[Nazism|Nazi]] war criminal [[Adolf Eichmann]] was captured and flown from Argentina to Israel on an El Al aircraft.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874118-2,00.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913202901/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874118-2,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 13, 2012 | title=The Beast in Chains | magazine=Time | date=June 6, 1960| access-date=2007-06-20}}</ref>

In 1955, after using [[Lockheed Constellation]]s for several years, the airline purchased two [[Bristol Britannia]] aircraft. El Al was the second airline in the world to fly this plane, after the [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]]. In 1958, El Al ran a newspaper advertisement in the United States featuring a picture of a "shrunken" Atlantic Ocean ("Starting Dec. 23, the [[Atlantic Ocean]] will be 20% smaller") to promote its non-stop [[transatlantic flight]]s.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://time.com/archive/6870668/advertising-admans-adman/ | title=Adman's Adman | access-date=2007-05-28 | magazine=Time | date=March 31, 1958}}</ref> This was a bold step: the airline industry had never used images of the ocean in its advertising because of the widespread public fear of airline crashes. The advertisement, which ran only once, proved effective. Within a year, El Al's sales tripled.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/student/98_fall/theory/weirtz/doyle.htm | title=Doyle Dane Bernbach | access-date=2007-05-28}}</ref>

[[File:1951 British mechanics residence permit for Israel - El Al worker.jpg|thumb|1951 British mechanic's residence permit for Israel – El Al worker]]

[[File:1951 El Al pilot's early Israeli passport.jpg|thumb|A 1951 El Al pilot's early Israeli passport]]

=== 1960s: Turning profitable ===
[[File:Boeing 720-058B 4X-ABB El Al LHR 30.08.64 edited-2.jpg|thumb|left|An El Al [[Boeing 720]] being serviced at [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow Airport]] in 1964]]

Despite the purchase of its Britannia and the inauguration of non-stop transatlantic flights, the airline remained unprofitable.<ref name="answers" />{{explain|reason=we didn't know it was unprofitable before|date=May 2016}} When Efraim Ben-Arzi took over the company in the late 1950s, the Britannias were replaced in the next decade by the [[Boeing 707]] and [[Boeing 720]] jet airliners.

[[File:OrlyAirport1965-Boeing707-EL-AL.jpg|thumb|An El Al [[Boeing 707]] at [[Orly Airport]], [[Paris]] (1965)]]

The first year that El Al turned a profit was 1960. That year, more than 50 percent of the passengers flying into Israel arrived on El Al flights.<ref name="answers" /> On 15 June 1961, the airline set a world record for the [[Non-stop flight#Records|longest non-stop commercial flight]]: an El Al [[Boeing 707]] flew from [[New York City|New York]] to Tel Aviv, covering {{convert|5760|mi|km|0}} in 9 hours and 33 minutes.<ref name="History of El Al" /> By this time, El Al was carrying 56,000 passengers a year—on a par with [[Qantas]] and ahead of established airlines like [[Loftleiðir]]. In 1961, El Al ranked 35th in the world in accumulated passenger distance.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Commercial_Aviation/ElAl/Tran25.htm | title=El Al, the Israeli Airline | access-date=2007-05-28 | publisher=US Centennial of Flight}}</ref> El Al's success continued into the late 1960s. In 1968, regular flights to [[Bucharest]] were inaugurated, and cargo flights began to Europe and the United States. The airline also established a catering subsidiary, Teshet Tourism, and Aviation Services Ltd. All these ventures brought in a profit of $2 million that year.<ref name="answers" />

==== Hijacking attempts ====
{{see also|El Al Flight 426 hijacking}}

In 1968, El Al experienced the first of many acts of terrorism that have been perpetrated against the airline. On 23 July, the only successful hijacking of an El Al aircraft took place, when a Boeing 707 carrying 10 crew and 38 passengers were taken over by three members of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP). The aircraft, [[El Al Flight 426 hijacking|El Al Flight 426]], which was en route from Rome to Tel Aviv, was diverted to [[Algiers]] by the hijackers. Negotiations with the hijackers lasted for 40 days. Both the hijackers and the passengers, including 21 Israeli hostages, were eventually freed.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942267-2,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930041701/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942267-2,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 30, 2007 | title=Drama of the Desert: The Week of the Hostages | date=September 21, 1970|access-date=2007-05-07 | magazine=Time}}</ref> On 26 December of the same year, two PFLP members attacked an El Al aircraft at [[Athens International Airport]], killing an Israeli mechanic.<ref name="TVNZ"/> The [[Israeli Defense Forces]] responded to the incident on 29 December, with a [[1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon|night-time raid]] on Lebanon's [[Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport|Beirut Airport]], destroying 14 planes on the ground belonging to [[Middle East Airlines]], [[Trans Mediterranean Airways]] and [[Lebanese International Airways]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/5804 |title=Lebanese International Airways |access-date=2010-02-08 |publisher=Aviation Safety Network }}</ref> The military action was responsible for the demise of the LIA, which had most of its fleet destroyed.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}

On 18 February 1969, Palestinians [[El Al Flight 432 attack|attacked an El Al plane]] at [[Zurich Airport]], killing the copilot and injuring the pilot. One Palestinian attacker was killed and others were convicted but later released. Between September and December of that year, bomb and grenade attacks occurred at El Al offices in [[Athens]], [[West Berlin]], and [[Brussels]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bard |first=Mitchell Geoffrey |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict |url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00mitc_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=Alpha Books |year=2003 |isbn=9780028644103 }}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2024}} This wave of violence culminated in the failed hijacking of an El Al 707 by [[Patrick Arguello]] and [[Leila Khaled]] on 6 September 1970, as part of the [[Dawson's Field hijackings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=15456 |title=The Day a New Terrorism Was Born |date=February 24, 2006 |last=Tugend |first=Tom |access-date=2007-05-07 |publisher=Jewish Journal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060321110141/http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=15456 |archive-date=March 21, 2006 }}</ref>
<!-- An attack on a bus containing El Al passengers at [[Munich]] airport by [[PFLP]] terrorist killing one passenger and wounding 11 on 10 February 1970. Please cite this before adding it -->

=== 1970s: Going Boeing ===
{{Rail freight
|float=right
|title=Revenue passenger-kilometers, scheduled flights only, in millions
|1950|50
|1955|138
|1960|413
|1965|1331
|1969|2070
|1971|3027
|1980|4590
|1985|6507
|1995|11287
|2000|14125
|source=ICAO Digest of Statistics for 1950–55, IATA World Air Transport Statistics 1960–2000
}}

[[File:El Al 707 at Zurich 1982.jpg|thumb|An El Al [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-300B]] landing at [[Zurich Airport]], [[Switzerland]] (1982)|left]]
[[File:El Al Boeing 767-200 4X-EAB LHR 1985-5-17.png|thumb|An El Al [[Boeing 767-200]] on short final to [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow Airport]] in 1985]]

El Al acquired its first [[Boeing 747]] jet in 1971. Many{{who|reason=who are those many?|date=May 2016}} felt it was a risky purchase given the high cost of the plane and fear of attacks, but El Al operations flourished after the purchase. Another Boeing 747 was delivered in 1973 and was used to start non-stop service from Tel Aviv to [[New York City|New York]] (El Al – Boeing 707s had flown eastward nonstop since around 1961).

El Al passengers and passengers from other airlines were attacked at Lod Airport in 1972, it was known as the [[Lod Airport massacre]].

In the mid-1970s El Al began to schedule flights from airports outside of Israel that departed on the [[Shabbat|Jewish shabbat]] and landed in Israel after it had finished. However, the religious parties in the government were outraged by this change believing that it was a violation of Jewish law and contrary to the agreement signed in the early days of the state, in which El Al promised to refrain from flying on the Sabbath. In 1982 the newly re-elected prime minister [[Menachem Begin]], brought before the [[Knesset]] a vote to ban Sabbath flights once again (it passed by a vote of 58 to 54).<ref name="begin">{{cite book |title=The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership |last=Avner |first=Yehuda |author-link=Yehuda Avner |year=2010 |publisher=The Toby Press |isbn=978-1-59264-278-6 |page=599}}</ref> Outraged, the secular community threatened to boycott the airline. In August 1982 El Al workers blocked [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and [[Hasidic]] Jews from entering the airport.<ref name="Shabbat" />

In 1977 El Al established a charter subsidiary, El Al Charter Services Ltd., later renamed [[Sun D'Or|Sun D'Or International Airlines Ltd]]. Two years earlier the airline had suffered its first losses since the late 1950s, largely a product of the global recession. The management changed three times towards the end of the 1970s until Itzhak Shander was named president.{{clarify|reason=until? It changes again in 1982. This could be explained better|date=May 2016}} As the political situation in Iran deteriorated, El Al began to airlift Jews to Israel. All the airline's infrastructure in Iran was eventually destroyed.<ref name="answers" />

=== 1980s: From receivership to profitability ===
El Al flights to [[Cairo]] were inaugurated in April 1980, following the [[Egypt–Israel peace treaty]].<ref name="History of El Al" /> In late 1982, after a long period of labor disputes and strikes, El Al operations were suspended. The government appointed Amram Blum to run the company, which lost $123.3 million in the fiscal year ending April 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1982/12/06/archive/el-al-officially-put-into-liquidation|title = El al Officially Put into Liquidation|date = 6 December 1982}}</ref><ref name="answers" />{{clarify|reason=appointed before or after the loss?|date=May 2016}} The airline also sold its stake in Arkia at this time.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Operations resumed in January 1983 under [[receivership]]. The government purchased two new [[Boeing 737]] aircraft and announced plans to acquire four [[Boeing 767]] jets at the cost of $200 million. Within four years, El Al was profitable again.<ref name="answers" /> It broke another record since then surpassed, in May 1988 with a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, a journey of {{convert|7000|nmi|km|-2}} in 13 hours and 41 minutes.<ref name="History of El Al" />{{clarify|reason=what was the record? longest flight? quickest flight?|date=May 2016}}

Flights to Poland and [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] were started in 1989.<ref name="answers"/>

=== 1990s: End of receivership, Ethiopian Jews airlifted ===
In January 1990, [[North American Airlines]] began providing [[regional airline|feeder service]]s to El Al's US destinations. El Al held a 24.9 percent stake in the airline until selling it back to Dan McKinnon in July 2003. By this time, El Al was operating a fleet of 20 aircraft, including nine Boeing 747s, and had begun replacing its aging Boeing 707s with the [[Boeing 757]]. Early that year, following the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|collapse]] of the [[Soviet Union]], El Al inaugurated regular flights to Moscow. No [[airlift]]s from the former [[Soviet Union]] were possible at the time but permission was granted in 1991. Charter flights commenced in August 1991, with [[1990s Post-Soviet aliyah|immigrants]] also occupying all available seats on El Al's scheduled routes. In cooperation with [[Aeroflot]], El Al flew more than 400,000 Jewish immigrants to Israel within a three-year period.

[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Ethiopian immigrants coming off a Boeing jet.jpg|thumb|El Al helped with the airlifting of [[Ethiopian Jews in Israel|Ethiopian immigrants]] from [[Ethiopia]] during [[Operation Solomon]] in 1991.]]

On 24 May 1991, an El Al Boeing 747 cargo plane airlifted a record-breaking 1,088 [[Beta Israel|Ethiopian Jews]] from [[Addis Ababa]] to Israel in the framework of [[Operation Solomon]]. Two babies were born during the flight. The plane carried twice as many passengers as it was designed for.<ref name="ThinkQuest">{{cite web|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110426/records/records1.html |title=Aviation World Records |access-date=2007-05-07 |publisher=Think Quest |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228010738/http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110426/records/records1.html |archive-date=2007-02-28 }}</ref> In less than 36 hours, 14,500 [[History of the Jews in Ethiopia|Ethiopian Jews]] were flown to Israel.<ref name="NYTEthiopianJews">{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/26/world/ethiopian-jews-and-israelis-exult-as-airlift-is-completed.html?pagewanted=all |title=Ethiopian Jews and Israelis Exult as Airlift Is Completed |work=The New York Times |last=Brinkley |first=Joel |date= May 26, 1991}}</ref> On 27 April 1994, El Al received its first [[Boeing 747-400]].<ref name="answers" /><ref>{{cite news | title=El Al flies olim on first direct charter | work=The Jerusalem Post | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/99706558.html?dids=99706558:99706558&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+28%2C+1991&author=HERB+KEINON&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=14&desc=EL+AL+FLIES+OLIM+ON+FIRST+DIRECT+CHARTER | date=November 28, 1991 | access-date=2007-05-31 | first=Herb | last=Keinin | archive-date=2007-10-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001044827/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/99706558.html?dids=99706558:99706558&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+28,+1991&author=HERB+KEINON&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=14&desc=EL+AL+FLIES+OLIM+ON+FIRST+DIRECT+CHARTER | url-status=dead }}</ref>

El Al flights were inaugurated to the [[Far East]]{{when|date=May 2016}} and, in 1995, El Al signed its first [[codesharing agreement]] with [[American Airlines]].<ref name="answers" /> In February 1995, the receivership under which the airline had technically been operating since 1982 came to an end.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/3508/edition_id/62/format/html/displaystory.html | title=El Al Airlines posts $15 million profits | access-date=2007-05-07| date=1996-04-26 | publisher=Jewish Bulletin Online}}</ref> In June 1996, El Al recorded its first flight from Israel to [[Amman]], [[Jordan]].<ref name="History of El Al" />

In 1996, El Al recorded US$83.1 million in losses, due to the resumption of terrorist activities and the government's [[open skies]] policy.<ref name="answers" /> To keep its planes flying during this period, El Al introduced flights "to nowhere": passengers were offered various kinds of [[in-flight entertainment]] as the plane circled the Mediterranean. One-day shopping trips to [[London]] and visits to religious sites in eastern Europe were also promoted.<ref name="answers" /> In 1997, El Al opened a separate cargo division.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.elal.co.il/ELAL/English/ELALCargo/ProfileCargo.htm | title=El Al Cargo Profile | access-date=2012-10-03 | publisher=El Al}}</ref>{{clarify|reason=it already had one, didn't it?|date=May 2016}}

=== 21st century ===
El Al's first [[Boeing 777]] embarked on its maiden flight in March 2000. Later that year the controversy over flights on Shabbat erupted again, when the airline announced that it was losing US$55 million a year by grounding its planes on Saturdays. After privatization of the company began in June 2003, the policy regarding Shabbat flights was expected to change.<ref name="Shabbat" /><ref name="History of El Al" />

The first phase of the long-delayed privatization of the company commenced in June 2003 and by Israel's Government Companies Authority, headed by [[Eyal Gabbai]]. 15 percent of El Al's shares were listed on the [[Tel Aviv Stock Exchange]]. By June 2004, 50% of the company had been sold to the public. By January 2005, a controlling share of the company had been transferred to Knafaim-Arkia Holdings Ltd.<ref name="History of El Al" /> As of October 2014, El Al's major shareholders were Knafaim Holdings (36%), Ginsburg Group (10%) and Delek Group (10%).<ref name="shares">{{cite web | url=http://www.elal.com/en/About-ELAL/About-ELAL/Investor-Relations/Pages/Shareholders.aspx| title=Shareholders|access-date=2015-02-17 | publisher=El Al}}</ref>

In August 2010, El Al and [[JetBlue]] signed an agreement to provide connecting through tickets between Israel and 61 destinations in the United States from October 2010, via [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Business/BusinessNews/Article.aspx?id=184648|title=El Al signs agreement with American Airlines|first=Ron|last=Friedman|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|date=13 August 2010|access-date=12 January 2012}}</ref>

In 2015, El Al introduced a requirement that female flight attendants wear high heels until passengers had been seated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://globalnews.ca/news/2063591/i-dont-think-the-girls-thought-they-could-question-it-high-heels-policy-study-author/|title='I don't think the girls thought they could question it': high heels policy study author |last=Tucker |first=Erika |website=Global News |access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref> The airline's workers' union stated that the requirement would endanger the health and safety of the flight attendants and instructed its members to ignore the rule. Later that year the requirement was removed.<ref>{{cite web |author=Yedidyah |first=Ben Or |date=10 September 2015 |title=El Al Flight Attendants Say Goodbye to High Heels |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200542 |access-date=2019-06-06 |publisher=Israel National News}}</ref>

In August 2017, El Al made their inaugural flight of the [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]]. Their first variant of the plane was the 787-9, but in late 2019, they took delivery of the 787-8. The inaugural service was from Tel Aviv to London and Paris, with the transatlantic inaugural flight from Tel Aviv to Newark. El Al introduced a [[Premium Economy]] to this aircraft, in a 2-3-2 configuration. They also launched an upgraded [[Business Class]] with “pods” in a 1-2-1 configuration. This was upgraded from the original 2-3-2 configuration of their Business Class on the 777-200. Their [[Economy Class]] now also featured large personal touch screen entertainment and WiFi. In Business Class, the seats go to a 90° flat bed, have personal service, large touchscreen personal entertainment screens, and storage.

In April 2018 the [[Israel Postal Company]] issued a stamp with different El Al-planes commemorating the 70th anniversary of the airline.<ref>Stamp, 11,60 Sh: {{cite web | url=https://www.israelpost.co.il/PostBoolaee.nsf/HanpakotViewEng/A3CA88FE276AB08CC225825B0043B623?opendocument&L=EN| title= 70 Years of Civil Aviation in Israel| access-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>

In July 2019, El Al retired its sole freight aircraft, a [[Boeing 747-400F]], ending its dedicated cargo flights. The airline plans to use charter services by other airlines for this purpose from now on.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cargofacts.com/el-al-ceases-747-freighter-ops-looks-to-airbridge-and-asl-for-charters-video/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707081600/https://cargofacts.com/el-al-ceases-747-freighter-ops-looks-to-airbridge-and-asl-for-charters-video/|archive-date=2019-07-07|website=cargofacts.com |title=El Al ceases 747 freighter ops, looks to AirBridge and ASL for charters|date=3 July 2019}}</ref>

In March 2020, El Al suspended operations due to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic in Israel|COVID-19 pandemic]]. The Israeli government had announced that all foreign and Israeli passport holders would have to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival into the country. El Al also converted some of their [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] airplanes to serve as cargo flights to transport medical goods from China to Europe through Tel Aviv's [[Ben Gurion Airport]]. El Al also offered some passenger flights to get stranded Israeli citizens home. These flights went from Tel Aviv to Miami, New York, London, Paris, and more. They also offered two services to Australia during the pandemic. This was the first ever nonstop flight from Israel to Australia. El Al offered one flight from Tel Aviv to Perth and Tel Aviv to Melbourne.

On 1 July 2020, after returning substantial amounts of leased aircraft (and canceling current leases) the airline canceled all flights and suspended operations indefinitely.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2020/07/01/el-al-suspends-operations-indefinitely/ |title=El Al suspends Operations Indefinitely|date=2 July 2020|publisher=Airline Geeks}}</ref> On 6 July, the company announced it had worked out a [[bailout]] deal with the government to make up the hundreds of millions of dollars it had lost due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Israel]] and abroad. The proposed deal would net the airline $250 million in government loans (with a guarantee for 75 percent of the loan in case of defaults) and an additional $150 million from its own sale of company shares which, if not sold, would be purchased by the government.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=6 July 2020|title=Israeli airline El Al reaches bailout deal with government|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/rkZZzx111D|access-date=7 July 2020|newspaper=[[Ynetnews]]}}</ref> The deal was approved by a [[Knesset]] committee. On 17 September, it was announced that Kanfei Nesharim, a company owned by 27-year-old [[Eli Rozenberg]] (son of US [https://centershealthcare.com/ Centers Health Care] nursing home chain founder Kenny Rozenberg), had bought a controlling 42.85% stake<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 September 2020|title=El Al's new owner: Eli Rozenberg, a 27-year-old yeshiva student from New York|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/el-als-new-owner-eli-rozenberg-a-27-year-old-yeshiva-student-from-new-york/|access-date=2020-09-17|website=Times of Israel|language=en-US}}</ref> in the airline with a $107 million offer. Under the prior negotiated bailout deal, the Israeli government, which had committed to buying any unwanted shares as part of a rescue package, bought $34 million worth of shares, for a stake that equals roughly 15% of the company. The holdings of El Al's owners before the bailout, Knafaim Holdings, fell to 15.2% from 38%.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Scheer|first=Steven|date=2020-09-17|title=Control of Israel's El Al Airlines bought by 27-year-old student|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-el-al-arlns-issue-idUSKBN26827C|access-date=2020-09-17}}</ref> The new management will seek to emphasize "punctuality" and work to upgrade food services across all classes.

On 17 April 2022, El-Al started its first direct flight between the Israeli coastal city of [[Tel Aviv]] and Egypt's Red Sea resort of [[Sharm el-Sheikh]]. Flight 5193 is operated by El-Al subsidiary Sun d’Or.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-17 |title=Direct flights start between Tel Aviv and Sharm el-Sheikh |url=https://arab.news/vz3c7 |access-date=2022-04-17 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref>

In October 2023, following the need for the urgent return of reserve soldiers due to the start of the [[Gaza war]], El Al gained [[Halakha|halachic]] approval from the [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel]] to break a 40-year policy of not flying on [[Shabbat]], with the last time it flew on a Sabbath being in 1982 during the [[1982 Lebanon War|First Lebanon War]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=El Al operates Saturday flights for first time since First Lebanon War |url=https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-768799 |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hajdenberg |first=Jackie |date=2023-10-17 |title=Israeli rabbis are issuing guidance about how to adjust Jewish law during wartime |url=https://www.jta.org/2023/10/17/israel/israeli-rabbis-are-issuing-guidance-about-how-to-adjust-jewish-law-during-wartime |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref> They also flew on the Sabbath following the attacks on Israeli football supporters in November 2024.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-828412 | title=EL AL funds rescue flights for Israelis from violent Amsterdam attack | date=10 November 2024 }}</ref>

2024 brought a record profit of $545 million to the company, as many competitors cancelled flights to Tel Aviv due to the [[Gaza war]]. Critics charged that El Al was engaged in [[price gouging]], but El Al denied the charge, saying it capped its prices. El Al also blamed the rise in ticket prices on a global "shortage of aircraft, engines and parts and supply chain delays."<ref>{{cite news|title=Israel's El Al Airlines 2024 profit soars to record high amid war|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/israels-el-al-airlines-2024-profit-soars-amid-war-2025-03-12/|date=March 12, 2025|publisher=[[Reuters]]|first=Steven|last= Scheer}}</ref>