El Al bids farewell to Boeing 747 by tracing the plane’s outline in the sky

El Al has already replaced some of its planes with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News

El Al pilots are known for their extraordinary skills, with most of them having previously served in the Israeli Air Force where they were asked to do much more than fly in a straight line.

As the airline officially said goodbye to the Boeing 747, it took an extended detour during the plane’s last flight to draw an outline of it in the sky.

The 747, flight LY1747, took a two-hour detour of about 100 extra miles, according to Flightradar24. The creative El Al pilots sent their trusty aircraft off in style, forming an outline of the 747 over the Mediterranean Sea.

El Al’s final 747 flight took place on Nov. 3, going from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport back home to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport. The outline of the 747, made just to the west of Cyprus, won international attention due to its unique path and the pilots’ skill.

Though the 747 is retiring, El Al plans on utilizing Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft. There are 12 fresh 787 planes in El Al’s updated fleet.

Shortly after the 747’s last voyage, the new Israeli Air Force One, a Boeing 767-300ER airliner, made its debut in the sky.

The new Air Force One, which will be used by the prime minister and president, was purchased by Australia’s Qantas Airlines three years ago. It was previously used for about 20 years as a passenger aircraft.