El Al has canceled one of its flights from London to Tel Aviv for the next three months in order to strengthen its Shabbat observance. The timing of the Israeli flag carrier’s Saturday evening departure from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has now been removed from the schedule until August.
El Al does not operate any flights during Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, which begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. However, with the longer daylight hours over the coming months, a 22:20 departure slot on Saturdays from London Heathrow meant that preparations for the flight, such as the check-in and screening of passengers and baggage, commenced before nightfall.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
In previous years, the airline has operated the Saturday evening flight throughout the summer. However, Israeli media outlet Channel 12 News reported that the change was backed by El Al’s new Orthodox owner, Kenny Rozenberg, who took over from his son, Eli, as majority shareholder in April 2023. In a statement, the airline said,
“Due to the change in the times when Shabbat ends with the transition to summer hours, and due to the restrictions on departures from Heathrow Airport, we have had to make adjustments to the flight schedule. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers as a result of this change.”
Up to 12 weekly flights with the Boeing 787
The move will affect 12 flights over the coming months, with the airline’s schedule showing that the Saturday evening departure from London Heathrow is due to recommence on August 12th. Until then, passengers booked on the service have been offered a full refund or a change to another flight.
Photo: Boeing
El Al will now fly up to 12 times per week between Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) and London Heathrow Terminal 4. Highlighting the popularity of the route, all flights are operated by the airline’s widebody Boeing 787 aircraft.
Data from ch-aviation.com shows that El Al has 15 Boeing 787s in total – three Boeing 787-8s and 12 Boeing 787-9s, forming the backbone of the airline’s long-haul fleet, together with two Boeing 777-200ERs. Each of the carrier’s Dreamliners holds a maximum of 238–282 passengers, depending on the configuration.
Further expansion on the horizon for El Al
From its hub at Ben Gurion International Airport, El Al will begin flying to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) on September 13th, using its Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The new route will complement the carrier’s existing six-weekly service to Miami (MIA).
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The following month, the airline will return to India, operating to both Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM) from October 29th. Looking further ahead, El Al plans to use its Boeing 787 to operate the airline’s first non-stop flights to Australia next year, with three flights per week to Melbourne (MEL).
What do you think of El Al’s decision to alter its flight schedule to observe Shabbat? Let us know by commenting below.
Source: Jewish News, ch-aviation.com
