El Al to purchase 15 B787 Dreamliners

Israeli flag carrier El Al is in talks with Boeing to purchase and lease 15 new wide-body 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, with options to purchase up to 13 additional planes.

According to El Al CEO David Maimon, the new aircraft will replace the carrier’s 747-400 and 767 fleets over the next five years on its medium and long haul destinations, including Toronto, New York, Boston, Bangkok, Beijing, Mumbai and South Africa.

The purchase agreement, which Maimon said is the largest aircraft acquisition program for El Al, was announced as part of the airline’s Q2 2015 results, in which El Al posted a net profit of US $17.3 million and revenues of US $510.6 million, down from $571.5 million reported last year. The carrier partly attributed the decrease to a drop in tourism to Israel.