El Al purchases 777 airframe to secure spare engines for operational fleet

Israel’s El Al has purchased a Boeing 777 fuselage in order to have spare engines available for its fleet of the twinjet type. The airline disclosed the acquisition as it released third-quarter financial results. El Al says it was purchased from a “foreign company” for a consideration of $7.3mi, without identifying the airframe or elaborating on the source. The carrier says it has taken the aircraft “for the purpose of dismantling it” in order to “increase the number of engines” of the type used by the fleet. El Al has six 777-200ERs, all fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 800 powerplants. Two of these aircraft are not in service. El Al had withdrawn these two aircraft from the fleet in 2021 but it has opted to return one of them to operation. The carrier says the refurbishment of the 777 relates to the “unavailability of aircraft in the market” with which to progress with its business strategy.<br/>