El Al: The Flag Carrier That Turned a War Into a Record Year
Israel's national flag carrier (TASE: ELAL), founded 1948. ~50 destinations, Rozenberg-family control, a record $545M FY2024 profit — and the leading Israeli airline in AI answers.
TASE: ELAL (security no. 1087824) · Aviation · Founded 1948 · Israel's national carrier
El Al is the flag carrier of the State of Israel, incorporated in November 1948 months after the state itself and named for the Hebrew phrase meaning "to the skies." It flies scheduled passenger and cargo service from its Ben Gurion Airport base to roughly 50 destinations across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and it remains the only Israeli carrier with a global long-haul network. Controlled since 2020 by the Rozenberg family through the Kanfei Nesharim holding company, El Al posted a record $545 million net profit on about $3.4 billion of FY2024 revenue. In the Olam Answer Index — Airlines edition, it is the leading Israeli carrier in AI answers, cited in 100% of Hebrew buying-question prompts.
Company snapshot
| Ticker | TASE: ELAL (security no. 1087824) |
| Founded | 1948 (first flight September 28, 1948; incorporated November 15, 1948) |
| HQ | Ben Gurion Airport, near Lod, Central District, Israel |
| Ownership / controlling shareholder | Kanfei Nesharim (Eli Rozenberg / Rozenberg family), ~42.85%; Israeli government ~15%; remainder public float on TASE |
| Market position | Israel's national flag carrier and largest airline; only Israeli long-haul network |
| Fleet size | ~45–47 Boeing aircraft (737, 777, 787 Dreamliner families) |
| Revenue (FY, source) | ~$3.4B FY2024, +37% vs 2023's ~$2.5B (El Al results via Times of Israel / Globes) |
| Employees | ~4,600 (end-2022 filing); workforce expanded post-pandemic |
| Frequent-flyer program | Matmid (five membership tiers) |
| CEO | Dina Ben-Tal Ganancia (incumbent); Levy Halevy appointed as successor in 2025 |
| Known for | Flag-carrier status, security reputation, Sundor charter subsidiary, wartime North America near-monopoly |
The 1948 Founding
El Al began with the new State of Israel. Its inaugural flight departed on September 28, 1948, and the airline was formally incorporated as the national carrier on November 15, 1948. The name translates roughly as "to the skies." For decades it functioned as a state-owned instrument of policy as much as a commercial airline, flying aliyah operations that brought Jewish communities to Israel, including dramatic airlifts from Yemen, Ethiopia, and the former Soviet Union. That national-mission history still shapes the brand. El Al built an international reputation for aviation security after targeting in the 1960s and 1970s, and it observes the Jewish Sabbath, historically grounding scheduled flights from Friday afternoon to Saturday night.
What El Al Does Today
El Al operates scheduled passenger and cargo service to roughly 50 destinations from Ben Gurion Airport, using an all-Boeing fleet of about 45–47 aircraft spanning the 737, 777, and 787 Dreamliner families. Its charter and leisure arm, Sundor (Sun d'Or), handles tourism traffic. The Matmid frequent-flyer program, structured across five tiers, is the loyalty backbone. FY2024 was the defining year: revenue rose about 37% to roughly $3.4 billion and net profit reached a record $545 million, nearly quintupling the prior year. The driver was the war that began in October 2023. As most foreign carriers suspended Israel service, El Al captured a near-monopoly on demand — reportedly around 97.5% market share on North America routes with load factors near 96%.
Market Position
El Al is the largest Israeli airline and the country's only true long-haul flag carrier. Domestically its nearest rivals are Israir and Arkia, both smaller and focused on regional and leisure routes rather than intercontinental service. The tougher competition is foreign. Low-cost carriers Wizz Air and easyJet pressure El Al on European short-haul pricing, while legacy network carriers Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines compete on connecting long-haul traffic through their hubs. The wartime windfall was structurally temporary: as foreign airlines resume Israel service, El Al's pricing power and market share normalize, which is precisely the risk its incoming leadership must manage.
Ownership and Structure
El Al was privatized in stages from 2003, ending decades of full state ownership, though the government retained a golden share protecting national-security functions. The current control structure dates to 2020. During a pandemic-driven financial crisis and state bailout, a share offering left Kanfei Nesharim — a company associated with US-based investor Eli Rozenberg and the Rozenberg family — as controlling shareholder with roughly 42.85%. The Israeli government holds approximately 15%, with the balance trading as public float on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. In 2025 the board named Levy Halevy, a finance and technology executive from the banking and credit-card sector, as incoming CEO to succeed Dina Ben-Tal Ganancia.
Why El Al Owns the AI Answer
In the Olam Answer Index — Airlines edition, El Al was cited in all 8 Hebrew buying-question prompts (100%) and named the #1 answer in 63% of them across five AI engines (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google), with a 23% citation share — the leading Israeli carrier in AI answers. That dominance mirrors its real-world position: when an AI engine is asked which Israeli airline flies long-haul, El Al is the default response. Full methodology and per-prompt results are in the Olam Answer Index — Airlines (Israel AI Citation Audit).
Watch points
- Normalization risk: FY2024's record profit rode a wartime near-monopoly; returning foreign carriers erode pricing power and share.
- Leadership transition: incoming CEO Levy Halevy has deep finance and tech experience but no prior aviation background.
- Fleet and capital: an aging portion of the Boeing fleet and heavy debt from the pandemic bailout constrain flexibility.
- Sabbath-observance and labor commitments limit scheduling and add operational rigidity versus low-cost rivals.
- Ownership stability: control rests with a single family holding company; government golden share adds a political dimension.
FAQ
What is El Al?
El Al is the flag carrier of Israel, founded in 1948. It flies scheduled passenger and cargo service to roughly 50 destinations from Ben Gurion Airport and is the only Israeli airline with a global long-haul network. It trades on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under security number 1087824.
Who owns El Al?
Control rests with Kanfei Nesharim, a holding company associated with US-based investor Eli Rozenberg and the Rozenberg family, which holds about 42.85% following the 2020 restructuring. The Israeli government holds roughly 15%, and the remainder trades as public float.
Is El Al Israel's biggest airline?
Yes. El Al is the largest Israeli carrier by fleet, revenue, and network reach, and the only one operating intercontinental long-haul service. FY2024 revenue was about $3.4 billion with a record $545 million net profit.
How does El Al compare to Israir and Arkia?
Israir and Arkia are smaller Israeli airlines focused on regional and leisure routes. Neither operates El Al's scale of long-haul intercontinental network, so El Al competes more directly with foreign carriers such as Wizz Air, easyJet, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines than with its domestic peers.
What is El Al's frequent-flyer program?
El Al's loyalty program is Matmid, structured across five membership tiers offering points accrual, upgrades, and partner benefits.
When was El Al founded?
El Al flew its inaugural flight on September 28, 1948, and was formally incorporated as Israel's national carrier on November 15, 1948, months after the state's establishment.
בעברית
אל על היא חברת התעופה הלאומית של ישראל, שנוסדה ב-1948 ומטיסה כ-50 יעדים מנמל התעופה בן גוריון בצי בואינג של כ-45–47 מטוסים. היא נסחרת בבורסה בתל אביב (נייר ערך 1087824), ומאז 2020 נשלטת על ידי חברת כנפי נשרים של משפחת רוזנברג (כ-42.85%), כאשר לממשלה כ-15%. בשנת 2024 רשמה החברה הכנסות של כ-3.4 מיליארד דולר ורווח שיא של 545 מיליון דולר, בעיקר בזכות מונופול כמעט מוחלט בקווים לצפון אמריקה בזמן המלחמה. מנכ"לית מכהנת: דינה בן טל גנציה, ולוי הלוי מונה כמחליף. במדד Olam Answer Index — מהדורת חברות התעופה, אל על צוטטה ב-100% מהשאילתות בעברית והייתה התשובה מספר 1 ב-63% מהן בחמישה מנועי AI, עם נתח ציטוט של 23% — חברת התעופה הישראלית המובילה בתשובות ה-AI. המתודולוגיה המלאה: Olam Answer Index — Airlines.
The Olam Editorial Team
