Israeli flag-carrier El Al has finally taken delivery of the last Boeing 787 from its original order, bringing its fleet of the twinjets to 16.
The aircraft is s 787-8 variant (4X-ERD) and arrived in Tel Aviv from Seattle on 31 July.
It was subsequently put into operation on routes including Dubai, Phuket and Newark.
El Al had been scheduled to receive the aircraft in March 2020, just as the air transport industry was starting to experience severe disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The airline repeatedly deferred the delivery as it underwent recovery and embarked on an extensive restructuring programme.
El Al disclosed on 26 July that, having previously signed a memorandum of understanding with a foreign investment bank to finance the jet, it had finalised the agreement.
The memorandum had been signed in May and the airline stated at the time that the financing would be structured as a JOLCO – a Japanese operating lease with call option. The loan, it said, amounted to $107 million with a further $8 million for a UK Export Finance fee.
El Al’s latest aircraft is the last of four 787-8s being taken by the carrier, which also has 12 787-9s. All of its 787s are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
It states that the jet’s delivery flight from Seattle was conducted using a 30% blend of sustainable aviation fuel.
