El Al Debuts First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner With Full Paint Scheme

El Al’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner made its livery debut on Tuesday at Paine Field after a short flight from the paint shop in Portland. The aircraft, 4X-EDA, arrived in Everett, Wash. with a full paint scheme after completing its first flight earlier this month.

With a price tag of $1.25 billion, the airline has 16 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on order, including the 787-8 and 787-9 variants, according to Reuters.

El Al’s first 787-9 arriving at Paine Field after being painted in Portland (Photo: Chris Edwards | @AeroimagesChris)

The new Dreamliners will replace El Al’s aging fleet of Boeing 747, 767-300, and 777-200 aircraft. The 747s are expected to be phased out of the fleet by first quarter of 2019.

Featuring a refreshed interior design, El Al’s newest aircraft will see 32 lie-flat seats in business class, 28 premium economy seats, and 222 economy seats. Business class is a sizable change compared to the airline’s older aircraft with a 1-2-1 configuration.

The airline’s first 787-9 Dreamliner touching down at Paine Field (Photo: Chris Edwards | @AeroimagesChris)

Passengers can expect to see these new airplanes flying on the carrier’s Tel Aviv to London route starting in September. The aircraft will then start flying between Tel Aviv and Newark from Oct. 29, 2017 (subject to government approval), according to Routesonline.

In March, the airline plans to fly the 787 Dreamliner between Tel Aviv and Hong Kong on a six flights per week schedule.

El Al’s first 787-9 Dreamliner arriving in Everett, Wash. (Photo: Chris Edwards | @AeroimagesChris)

“We look forward to delivering EL AL’s first Dreamliner in August and are honored that it continues to place its confidence in our products,” said Ray Conner, Vice Chairman at The Boeing Company.

“We have a special relationship with EL AL that spans more than half a century and are certain that the 787 is the right airplane to usher in a new era for EL AL and its customers, providing new world class passenger comfort, more range, capacity and flexibility from its base in Tel Aviv,” he continued in a statement.

The newly minted 787 Dreamliners are in addition to El Al’s next generation 737-900 aircraft which are already in service.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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