El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) is considering adding a widebody freighter to its fleet, it said in an update to its strategic plan. It did not disclose which aircraft type it is looking at, but investor documents released this week show an increase in the B777 fleet from 2028.
The airline also revealed that it plans to wet-lease three passenger and one cargo aircraft until at least 2030, alongside the addition of new in-house aircraft. It currently operates a single freighter, a B737-800(BCF).
El Al noted that it had signed an agreement with a foreign company to purchase a B777 for USD7.3 million in July 2024. It bought it with the purpose of dismantling it and increasing the number of spare parts and aircraft engines. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, the carrier currently operates four B777-200ERs powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines.
The carrier further disclosed that it had bought a B737-800 that it had leased for the past twelve years. It did not disclose the identity of the aircraft or the sum it paid. ch-aviation reached out to El Al for comment.
El Al Israel Airlines completed 2024 with USD545 million net profit, on revenues amounting to approximately USD3.4 billion. It carried 6.6 million passengers with an average 94% load factor.
El Al Israel Airlines operates 45 aircraft in total, namely sixteen B737-800s, eight B737-900ERs, four B777-200ERs, four B787-8, twelve B787-9s, and one B737-800(BCF). It has twenty B737-10s and seven B787-9s on order, either directly from the manufacturers or in dry-lease agreements with lessors.
