First plane in El Al’s Dreamliner fleet lands in Israel
Boeing aircraft touches down at Ben Gurion Airport in ceremony attended by transportation minister, US ambassador
The first of the Dreamliner airplanes purchased by national carrier El Al landed in Israel on Wednesday in an eagerly awaited upgrade to its fleet.
The plane touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport after flying from the Boeing factory in Washington state on the West Coast of the United States.
A ceremony was held to celebrate the plane’s arrival, attended by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and hundreds of workers from El Al and the Transportation Ministry.
The plane is the first of 16 Dreamliners purchased by El Al, which are set to replace its current fleet of Boeing 747-400s and 767s.
מטוס הבואינג 787, הדרימליינר של אל-על נחת בנתב"ג@sharonidan pic.twitter.com/jLkihhT9e5
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 23, 2017
The Dreamliner’s first passenger flights will be to London. Long-haul routes will later be introduced as pilots rack up experience flying the new plane.
The plane, which can fly over 9,000 miles, is the most recent passenger aircraft to be produced by the American airplane giant. It is also supposed to be significantly more fuel-efficient than the older models.
