El Al

El Al (Hebrew: אל על) , literally means “to the skies” , is the National Airlines of the state of Israel. The term “El Al” is taken from the Hebrew Bible (Hosea11:7)-
” “וְעַמִּי תְלוּאִים לִמְשׁוּבָתִי וְאֶל עַל יִקְרָאֻהוּ יַחַד לֹא יְרוֹמֵם”

“And My people are in suspense about returning to Me; and though they call them upwards, none at all will lift himself up.”
 

El Al was established in 1948. The first formal flight of El Al took place in September 1948. EL AL’s inaugural flight brings the country’s first president, Chaim Weizman, home from Geneva.

Although it has been the target of many attempted hijackings and terror attacks, only one El Al flight was successfully hijacked. In 1968, a Boeing 707, carrying 10 crew and 38 passengers, was hijacked by 3 members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. After 40 days, the passengers, including 21 Israeli hostages, were freed.

El Al’s headquarters are located on the grounds of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv District, Israel, near Lod.

Today EL AL is ranked by IATA as one of the world’s three most efficient air carriers.
Credit:
Elal