Word of the Day
El Al
· Common clues: Flier to Tel Aviv; Israeli airline
· Crossword puzzle frequency: 6 times a year
El Al Israel Airlines is the national airline of Israel. It is based at Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv and uses the IATA designator LY.
El
Al Israel Airlines Boeing 777 in the latest (2003) colour scheme
on the approach to London (Heathrow) Airport (UK).
Photographed by Adrian Pingstone in September 2003 and released to
the public domain.
El Al was completely owned by the Israeli government, but a move to privatize began on June 12, 2003 when its shares debuted on the Tel Aviv stock exchange. The airline is renowned for the thorough security on its check-ins and planes and is thought to be the world's most secure airline.
El Al currently employs a fleet of about 30 aircraft, all Boeings (737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 models).
1948 September: El Al's inaugural flight brings the Israel's first president, Chaim Weizman, home from Geneva.
1961 June First non-stop New York/Tel Aviv flight on a Boeing 707 sets the world record for longest non-stop commercial flight covering 5,760 miles in 9 hours, 33 minutes.
1991 May 24 An El Al Boeing 747 airlifts a record-breaking 1,087 passengers - Ethiopian Jews flying from Addis Ababa to Israel as part of Operation Solomon.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "El Al".
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