As part of the new labor agreement that has enabled El Al to resume its worldwide operations, the airline today announced that it has suspended all flights on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays worldwide.
El Al never had flights on the Sabbath between Israel and North America. There were only some Sabbath flights between Israel and Europe. After a four month hiatus, passenger service resumed on January 12 with service from Tel Aviv to Nairobi and Johannes burg. U.S. service began yesterday on a twice-weekly basis.
Rafi Harlev, the newly appointed president of the airline, said “We will abide by the government’s decision concerning the suspension of Shabbat service and will do everything we can to overcome all past difficulties for the good of our passengers and the company.”
“We believe,” continued the President, “that El Al, the airline of Israel, is also the airline of the Jewish people, and that our responsibilities extend to Jews everywhere. We will continue to maintain the highest standards of Kashruth, and remain sensitive to the special needs of every passenger.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
