Registry · ELAL
Does El Al support Israel?
El Al Israel Airlines
El Al does business in Israel — we found records of its operations there, but no record of donations, aid, or a public statement of support. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Hotels & travel companies · Companies that support Israel
Background
El Al is Israel's flag carrier, headquartered at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange — an Israeli company whose connection to Israel is its identity, not a matter of donations. Its documented wartime record is operational: in every recent conflict (October 2023, the June 2025 Israel–Iran war, and the 2026 Iran war) it kept Israel connected while foreign carriers pulled out, running rescue and reservist flights, including its first Sabbath flights in four decades. Coverage during the 2026 war also included criticism from stranded customers over seat availability and rebooking — its role as lifeline is documented fact, not an advertisement.
Timeline of documented records
Documented records
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations in Israel | 2023-10 | — | Israeli travelers and IDF reservists (wartime air link) As Israel's flag carrier, El Al kept flying to and from Tel Aviv in the days after the 7 October 2023 attacks while nearly every foreign airline suspended service, becoming the country's main air link — it was scheduled to operate about 22% of all international flights into Israel that month, based on Cirium data, and maintained its schedule while adding capacity. It added rescue flights, such as a Tel Aviv–Frankfurt route, and let reservists and other affected travelers change or postpone their bookings without fees. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2023-10-14 | — | IDF reservists abroad (Sabbath rescue flights) For the first time in about 41 years, El Al operated flights on the Jewish Sabbath, breaking its decades-old no-Shabbat-flying policy to bring IDF reservists home for the war effort, starting with rescue flights from Bangkok, New York and Madrid. Reservists flew at no cost to themselves — El Al and large U.S. financial institutions covered the cost of the flights, according to the airline. The exception received rabbinic approval under the Jewish legal principle of pikuach nefesh — that saving life overrides nearly all other religious requirements. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2025-06 | — | Israelis stranded abroad during the June 2025 Israel–Iran war During the June 2025 Israel–Iran war (the "12-Day War"), after Iranian missile strikes forced the closure of Israeli airspace, El Al suspended its regular schedule through 23 June, temporarily relocated its passenger fleet to Cyprus, and opened registration for rescue flights home — drawing more than 60,000 sign-ups within hours. It then ran a limited, security-cleared schedule, initially around 24 flights a day carrying roughly 1,000-plus people daily, from hubs including Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris; El Al customers holding a ticket for a flight the airline had cancelled were not charged for the rescue seat. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2026-03 | — | Israelis stranded abroad during the 2026 Israel–Iran war During the 2026 war with Iran, with Israeli airspace under missile threat and civil aviation heavily restricted, El Al again became the country's lifeline: by mid-March 2026 it had flown more than 35,000 passengers back to Israel on rescue flights at no extra charge, added five daily flights to the United States (about nine US flights a day to New York, Miami and Los Angeles), and served 25 rescue destinations through hubs including Paris, London, New York, Frankfurt and Munich — while operating at roughly one-fifth of its normal capacity (about 20 flights a day versus a normal 160 segments). |
Frequently asked questions
Did El Al donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of donations. What is on record is commercial activity in Israel (Operations in Israel), which is not the same as support — see the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 9 distinct sources are cited for El Al. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-09-24
- AirlineGeeks airlinegeeks.com
- The Jerusalem Post jpost.com
- The Times of Israel timesofisrael.com
- Airways Magazine airwaysmag.com
- The Jewish Chronicle thejc.com
- Ynet ynet.co.il
- The Jerusalem Post jpost.com
- DansDeals dansdeals.com
- Mako mako.co.il