El Al finds alternative crew after pilots refuse to fly Netanyahu to Italy

El Al pilots and flight attendants refused to take up a tender to man the prime minister's scheduled flight to Rome later this week.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara on their way to Saloniki, Greece for a two-day state official visit. June 14, 2017 (photo credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara on their way to Saloniki, Greece for a two-day state official visit. June 14, 2017
(photo credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM/GPO)

Israel's national airline El Al pilots left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, high and dry after no one volunteered to fly Israel's first couple out to Rome for a state visit to Italy scheduled later this week, El Al Airlines said on Sunday.

The deadline of a tender issued by Israel's national airline, as is required when the prime minister is set to depart on a commercial airline, expired at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday and was met with indifference by El Al pilots and flight attendants, who refused to take up the opportunity.

Later on Sunday evening, El Al announced that it had finally found a crew to fly the Netanyahu couple out to Italy.

El Al: Shortage of qualified pilots for Netanyahus' flight to Rome

In a statement issued following the deadline's passing, El Al said that "the issue of manning the prime minister's flight is yet to be resolved due to a shortage of qualified pilots in our Boeing 777 squadron, among other reasons.

"We are working to man this flight...in accordance with company procedures, as we have done countless times before," El Al wrote. "Since its establishment, El Al has flown heads of state for important national missions and will continue to do so in the future, as it is required."

As per El Al protocol, the squadron's commissioner is obliged to pilot the prime minister's flight. However, it was unclear where the airline found a cabin crew and a co-pilot as El Al's staff appeared unwilling to fly Netanyahu out.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departs on his flight to Kenya from the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, on November 28, 2017 (credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departs on his flight to Kenya from the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, on November 28, 2017 (credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)

Netanyahu is expected to fly out on Thursday to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who last publically spoke with her Israeli counterpart in November to send her congratulations for his election victory.

Following reports of the lack of volunteers in El Al, Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced she intends to open the flight tenders to other Israeli airlines such as Arkia and Israir, according to Israeli media.

Israeli pilots protest government's judicial reform

The refusal by the pilots to man the prime minister's flight joins an earlier statement by 37 out of the 40 reserve pilots in the Israeli Air Force's 69th fighter squadron, who announced they will not attend a pre-scheduled training session this coming Wednesday in protest of the government's judicial reform.


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The reserve pilots announced their decision Sunday to the heads of the airforce and their squadron commander. Instead of training, they have said they will hold a dialogue regarding the issue under debate outside of government offices.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.