TLV
An interesting story at ch-Aviation today highlights something worth noting.
The Key Issue – Demand is rock solid
Air travel to Israel is unlike any other market, anywhere. When there is a conflict, people don’t fly. Whether its Russia, Ukraine, Dubai, etc. But Israel? Absolutely. Demand for travel to this country is inelastic. El Al has made a quiet fortune pricing appropriately as its competitors shied away. All its flights are full, every day. There’s no other market like it. And it’s not just traffic out of Israel, there’s just as much demand to visit the country.
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A seventh freedom right — allowing Emirates to fly TLV-JFK without touching Dubai — would be extraordinary. It would also be an acknowledgment that El Al alone cannot satisfy demand on the route. That Israel is even considering it tells you everything about the scale of the market.
This is not a new story for El Al — the carrier has a documented history of wet-leasing Airbus A320s for short-haul capacity while maintaining its all-Boeing long-haul strategy. It previously wet-leased a TUS Airways A320 as far back as 2021. Two A320-200s in June 2026 fits the same pattern — Airbus narrowbodies as a tactical bridge, not a strategic shift.
The Strategic Logic
El Al has been extending leases on aging 737s as part of its capacity plans while its 737 replacement program remains “subject to availability” from manufacturers. With Boeing’s MAX order book stretched well into the 2030s, El Al cannot accelerate narrowbody fleet renewal on Boeing metal alone. The wet-lease is the gap-filler.
The Conflict Dimension
Ben Gurion Airport has been operating at reduced capacity since the Iran conflict began in February. With the ceasefire now collapsed as of this morning — US and Iranian airstrikes resuming — El Al’s near-term capacity planning is highly uncertain. Two wet-leased A320-200s give flexibility without commitment. That’s the right posture in an environment where traffic patterns could shift week to week.
The “All-Boeing” Question
AeroTime flagged the “Could El Al order Airbus aircraft?” question back in 2024 — and the answer remains the same: no on the long-haul side. On narrowbodies, the wet-lease pattern suggests El Al is pragmatic rather than dogmatic about fleet type when operational necessity demands it.
El Al’s wet-lease of two A320s is a footnote. The demand story behind it is not.
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