Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV
El Al has unofficially cancelled plans to acquire Airbus aircraft, as it prepares to take delivery of its first Boeing 777.
The Israeli airline announced plans to acquire between three and four Airbus A330-200s last year, as part of a fleet re-equipping programme which also involved an order for three Rolls-Royce Trent-powered Boeing 777-200ERs. While El Al's contract with Boeing was signed almost immediately, the Airbus order - the airline's first for a non-Boeing jet - became the centre of a heated debate as the transport ministry continued to question the decision.
In March, the A330 plans were put on hold as the airline re-evaluated its ability to finance the deal. The order, potentially worth more than $450 million, has now been frozen indefinitely by El Al's board. According to sources within the airline, it seems unlikely that the A330 plans will ever go ahead. Officially the decision to acquire the Airbus twinjets has not been dropped but sources in the board say that the commitment now "only exists on paper".
Meanwhile, El Al is preparing to receive three 298-seat 777-200ERs, the first of which is set to arrive in February. All three will be delivered by June. Seven flightdeck crews have already been trained, and another five are undergoing conversion at British Airways' training centre near London Heathrow. The new aircraft will be operated on long haul routes from Tel Aviv, mainly to New York and Hong Kong, and also on London services.
Source: Flight International
