Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 5, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 5, 2023
El Al says no pilot has volunteered to fly Netanyahus to Rome
Illustrative: El Al planes are parked at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on March 10, 2020. (AP Photo/ Ariel Schalit/ File)
None of El Al’s pilots have so far volunteered to fly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, to Rome for an official visit this weekend, according to reports.
The opportunity to sign up for the job closed at 2 p.m. today. According to the Walla news site and Channel 12, pilots have refused to put their hand up to fly the couple due to their opposition to the coalition’s judicial reform.
There was further difficulty finding pilots due to the Netanyahus’ insistence that they fly on a Boeing 777. El Al’s fleet of the model has still not fully returned to service after being grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
