About El Al Israel Airlines
El Al Israel Airlines is the national airline of Israel. From their hub at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, El Al operates international scheduled passenger flights to Africa, Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East, as well as international cargo flights through their cargo branch, El Al Cargo. El Al has the reputation of being the most secure airline in the world.

History
The airline was established on 15 November 1948 and started operations in August 1949 with a service from Tel Aviv to Rome and Paris, extended a year later to London. Non-stop Tel Aviv to New York services were introduced on 15 June 1961, when its Boeing 707 set the world record for the longest non-stop commercial flight covering 5,760 miles in 9 hours and 33 minutes. On 24 May 1991 an El Al Boeing 747 airlifted a record-breaking 1,087 passengers – Ethiopian Jews flying from Addis Ababa to Israel as part of Operation Solomon. In February 1995 El Al left the technical receivership it had been operating under since 1982.
The first phase of a long delayed privatisation was initiated in June 2003 when 15% of the airline's shares were listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Arkia Israel Airlines parent company, Knafaim-Arkia Holdings, acquired a large stake in mid-2004 and intends to take complete ownership. The owners are Knafaim-Arkia Holdings (40%), private investors (30%) and the state (30%). It employs 5,417 staff.
In late 2006, following a strike that temporarily shut down the airline at the end of November, El Al decided to fly some of their planes on Shabbat in order to get back on schedule. This led to a large-scale Haredi boycott of the airline. On 5 January 2007, a deal was signed between El Al and the Haredi community, which stated that El Al will not fly on Shabbat.
In January 2007, El Al signed cooperation agreements with Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Airlines, and announced that they would schedule their flights to enable shorter waiting times for passengers on connecting flights. El Al also opened a new King David Lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport. New lounges at Heathrow Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport will open later this year.