The Israeli airline El Al has acquired a Boeing 777 airframe to ensure the availability of spare engines for its fleet. This announcement was made during the presentation of its third-quarter financial results.
The company reported that the aircraft was purchased from a «foreign company» for $7.3 million, without disclosing the specific origin. The purpose of this acquisition is to dismantle the aircraft to increase the number of engines compatible with its current fleet.
Currently, El Al operates six Boeing 777-200ERs, all equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. Of these, two are out of service. Initially, the airline had withdrawn these two units in 2021 but decided to reintegrate one of them into operations, as reported by our partner outlet, AEROIN.
The decision to reactivate the 777 is linked to the «lack of aircraft availability in the market,» which has hindered the progress of its commercial strategy. This situation is recognized worldwide, as supply chain issues and other factors have delayed deliveries from major manufacturers.
Additionally, El Al is upgrading other 777 models, reconfiguring them to accommodate 313 seats, and may consider extending this modification to another unit. The airline expects to receive an additional Boeing 787-9 before the end of the year, bringing its fleet of this model to 17 aircraft.
