EL AL Boeing 787 hits power pole at Las Vegas Airport

The return flight to Israel was canceled, and El Al issued an apology for the incident and “the unpleasantness caused to our customers.”

El-Al Jumbo jet (photo credit: SIVAN FARAG)
El-Al Jumbo jet
(photo credit: SIVAN FARAG)
An El Al Boeing Dreamliner 787 hit a power pole at Las Vegas Airport on Saturday, causing severe damage to one of the wings, in addition to a power outage at the airport.
The El Al plane flew Friday night from Ben-Gurion Airport, landing in Las Vegas. An investigation found that following the landing, airport employees allegedly refused to wait and guide the towing of the plane towards the jet bridge. This ultimately caused the plane to strike an electric pole.
Due to the damage caused to the year-old airplane, it was grounded for repairs, leading to disruption to El Al’s flight schedule in the upcoming weeks.
The plane was inducted into service in August 2017 as part of a plan to renew the company’s aging fleet of Boeing 747s and 767s.
In response to the incident, El Al said that the flight from Las Vegas to Tel Aviv was cancelled as a result of the damage to the aircraft. Passengers were informed and provided with alternative flights to their destinations. El Al also issued an apology for the incident and “the unpleasantness caused to our customers.”