Israel’s national carrier, El Al Airlines, has signed a contract with Boeing arranging the delivery of the airline’s sixteenth Dreamliner 787-9.
Delivery of the aircraft had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic but is now slated to arrive in the third quarter of 2023.
The airline has also purchased an additional Dreamliner, expected to arrive in Israel in the second quarter of 2024.
The two additional Dreamliners total an estimated $230 million.
It will be the 17th Dreamliner in El Al’s fleet. Currently there are 12 Dreamliner 787-9 and one 787-8 aircraft in service, plus an additional 787-8 that has yet to be delivered, according to the Calcalist.
The additional aircraft were purchased “to increase production capacity and following the trend of increasing demand for flights,” the airline said in a report to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
The two parties agreed that Boeing will compensate El Al for the delay in delivering the Dreamliners. The compensation funds will then be used for purchases from Boeing.
