El Al Israel Airlines History

El Al grew from a borrowed DC-4 in 1948 into Israel's long-haul flag carrier, setting nonstop records across the Atlantic along the way. Here's a short history of El Al Israel Airlines, plus the El Al collection that celebrates them.

Taking to the skies (1948-1950)

El Al was incorporated on November 15, 1948, as Israel's national airline. The name is Hebrew for "to the skies" or "upwards," and was chosen by Transport Minister David Remez. Even before that, a converted military C-54 painted with El Al titles flew President Chaim Weizmann home from Geneva in late September 1948. In early 1949 the airline bought two DC-4s from American Airlines. Its first scheduled service, Tel Aviv to Paris, flew on July 31, 1949.

Propliners over the Atlantic (1950-1960)

The first Lockheed Constellation arrived on December 22, 1950. It was El Al's first pressurized airliner. On April 29, 1951, El Al began scheduled transatlantic service. The Bristol Britannia followed in 1957, and El Al was only the second airline in the world to fly the type. In December 1957 a Britannia flew nonstop from New York to Tel Aviv, 9,270 km in 14 hours 46 minutes.

Jets and jumbos (1961-1999)

Jet service began on January 8, 1961, with a Boeing 707 leased from Varig. El Al's own first 707 arrived that May. On June 15, 1961, a 707 flew New York to Tel Aviv nonstop in 9 hours 33 minutes, a world record at the time. The first Boeing 747 arrived in June 1971, and the Boeing 767 followed in 1983. On March 26, 1984, an El Al 767-200ER became the first twin-jet to cross the North Atlantic nonstop in revenue service. On May 24, 1991, during Operation Solomon, a single El Al 747 carried more than 1,080 Ethiopian Jews from Addis Ababa to Israel, a record for one flight.

An all-Boeing fleet (2000-today)

Boeing 777-200ERs joined in the early 2000s. The airline was privatized between 2003 and 2005, when control passed to Knafaim-Arkia Holdings. The first Boeing 787 Dreamliners arrived in August 2017, and the last El Al 747 flew in November 2019. Today El Al flies an all-Boeing fleet from Ben Gurion Airport near Lod.

A few things collectors love

• The 1958 newspaper ad that showed a "shrunken" Atlantic Ocean to promote nonstop transatlantic flights.
• The blue and silver ribbon livery, which debuted in 1999 on a 767-200ER, and the retro-style livery that appeared on a 787-9 in August 2018.

Shop El Al

Browse El Al logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the El Al collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag to finish the look.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com is an independent retailer of airline memorabilia. This page is for historical interest and is not affiliated with or endorsed by El Al.