Future Of EL AL Uncertain

[Thomas_Cook_757-200]

Hi,
According to Tel Aviv daily Ha'aretz, Israel's finance ministry is studying the possibility of liquidating El Al to avert bankruptcy instead of privatizing the airline.



Thanks

Thomas_Cook_757-200

[Richard]

Huh? If El Al is govt. owned then why would it be liquidated? If they were to go, who'd be Israel's carrier? Who would service Israel?

[herpa2003]

Damnit, I am planning a trip on El Al in December! Let's hope they don't go.

[jonathan]

the latest article from ha'aretz :


El Al sale needs workers' help to take off

By Zohar Blumenkrantz



Eyal Gabbay, director of the Government Companies Authority, will today meet the staff of El Al and try to persuade them to support imminent plans to privatize the state-owned national airline. El Al CEO Amos Shapira will also attend.

The talks will focus on the possibility of El Al executives resigning en masse from the company to make sure they get the 200-percent redundancy package - twice that legally required - rather than wait for privatization or company liquidation and face possible dismissals on less generous terms.

Gabbay and his team will address the early retirement package that El Al has recently offered its staffers, and its funding. The airline offered a second retirement plan to 150 of its staffers, which was taken up by 50 people, but the process was stopped after 34 had left because there were no funds to finance the packages.

Secretary general of the El Al staff union, Michael Kochavi said: "We are renewing talks with the Government Companies Authority and management. I believe we will eventually reach an agreement, because there is no other way. I know of no privatization of a state company in Israel that was done without the workers' cooperation."

The government has planned to float El Al shares on the stock market next month and has drafted a prospectus. Transport Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he is determined to go ahead with this plan or else put the loss-making airline into receivership.

[yul_airplane_freak]

I hope EL AL won't end up like Swissair and Sabena

[AC_A340-500]

OK this is a little off topic, but I heard that some EL AL aircraft have anti- SAM missile devices underneath the plane roughly under the rear doors (of course further down on the bottom surface of the aircraft).

I found this picture where something is visible in this area. Does anyone know whether this is fact of fiction?

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=9661

[Richard]

I don't think that dark device is it. They have those on other 747s, I maybe it's some sort of a vent.

[jonathan]

Richard,

you right.

i hope it is visible enough...

[AC_A340-500]

Ok, case closed. Thanks guys.

(you know, considering the effort I made to find a picture of an EL AL 747 with those things visible, I wonder why I didn't make an effort to find a picture of a non-EL AL 747 to verify this theory. I must be getting old or something )