View Full Version : El Al Retire the second last of their 1984 767-200s
radar0976
10th Oct 2011, 19:11
El Al retired the second last of their batch of four 767-258ER which they bought in 1984. This week sees the retirement of 4X-EAC with a distinguished 27 and a half year record with El Al.
She was the oldest aircraft in the El Al fleet and that mantle is now taken over by her sister ship 4X-EAD. EAC was operating mainly routes to Europe from Tel Aviv for the latter years of her life.
I was lucky enough to catch her here in Ireland on a charter last month. Little did I know at the time that it was one of her final flights for El Al.
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Tom the Tenor
11th Oct 2011, 13:27
That's Cork, boy!
You should have filmed the large crowd down at 35 too for the takeoff. It was like the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff when Munster won the Heinken Cup Final.
Cork's second longest widebody passenger flight beaten by the Air Atlanta 767 going to the Dominican Republic some years ago and the Canadian Armed Forces A310 returning to Ottawa after the Air India memorial also a few years ago.
Cork Airport's highlight for the 50th birthday?
There's also another B762, 4XEAF, spotted today at Athens performing
the scheduled flight from Tel Aviv.
radar0976
12th Oct 2011, 15:30
Yes but EAF is alot newer. She was built in 1990.
I was in EAC about three years ago and it was visibly falling apart inside the cabin.
On pushback at TLV for LHR, during engine start the electrics were presumably cut over from APU to engine generation, and all the interior lights failed - and I mean all of them, both mainstream and emergency. I wouldn't have thought that was technically possible, there must have been some multiple failures somewhere along the way. Sat in darkness, apart from residual apron lighting coming in, for about 20 seconds until things restored. This on an aircraft presumably still certified at the time for ETOPS.
Tom the Tenor
16th Oct 2011, 11:09
Plenty photos of EAC at Cork on Cork Spotters if anyone wants a look and one on plane pictures but that is a self plug which is a bit naughty but on the day of Cork's 50th Birthday I should hope that I may be forgiven!
akerosid
17th Oct 2011, 13:14
I remember seeing 'EAC at DUB, in June 1994, when it brought the late Pres. Chaim Herzog (who was from Belfast originally) on a state visit to Ireland.
It was my first sighting of a 767, probably the first visit to Ireland by a 767 too.
Here's 'EAC, a few years ago, now in its current LY colours.
JetPhotos.Net Photo » 4X-EAC (CN: 22974) El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 767-258(ER) by John Fitzpatrick (http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5693090)
Espada III
17th Oct 2011, 20:29
About the time this plane or its sister were launched(?) my then girlfriend flew TLV-LHR on its inaugural flight. They were given first class service for an economy class fare. Very happy she was!