El Al to reportedly test demand with series of international flights

A modest number of pilots and other relevant staff will be brought back from unpaid leave for the pilot program, it was reported.

By EYTAN HALON
Staff disembark the El Al flight dressed in protective gear to protect them from contracting the coronavirus. (photo credit: SIVAN FARAG)
Staff disembark the El Al flight dressed in protective gear to protect them from contracting the coronavirus.
(photo credit: SIVAN FARAG)
Israeli flag carrier El Al will reportedly test the demand for international travel during a pilot series of passenger flights next month.
In a letter sent to employees obtained by Channel 13, the struggling airline said it “intended to carry out a pilot in June” to evaluate passenger demand.
A modest number of pilots and other relevant staff will be brought back from unpaid leave for the pilot program, it was reported. On May 7, El Al said it would extend the unpaid leave of about 6,000 employees until the end of June.
Last week, El Al informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that it had decided to extend its halt on all scheduled flights to and from Israel until June 20, with the exception of cargo flights and one-off services.
The Israeli flag-carrier said the decision was based on continued Health Ministry requirements for self-quarantine upon arrival in Israel, a ban on entry for foreign nationals, and low demand for passenger flights.
Marking the first time an Israeli airplane landed in Turkey in more than a decade, an El Al flight arrived in Istanbul on Sunday morning after securing an agreement to transport medical equipment to Tel Aviv and New York.
The El Al 787 Dreamliner, recently converted into a cargo plane to serve routes to New York and Liege, Belgium, took off for Tel Aviv with 24 tons of humanitarian equipment onboard. The airliner will then continue to New York.
El Al will initially operate two humanitarian flights this week from Istanbul, although the carrier has requested permission from Turkish authorities to operate cargo flights on a regular basis.
Despite months of negotiations with Finance Ministry officials, the airline is still yet to reach an agreement over a proposed $400 million bailout plan.
Any deal is likely to require severe cost-cutting measures and layoffs expected to affect 2,000 workers, approximately one-third of the airline’s workforce. The cuts will require the approval of El Al’s workers union.
In a letter sent on May 13, El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will carry the “ultimate responsibility” should the struggling airline collapse. The latest terms of the government’s proposed bailout plan represented an attempt to liquidate the company, he said.


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