On November 6, El Al Israel Airlines (LY), the flag carrier of Israel, announced that it has partnered with local fashion brand Renuar to design new uniforms for its cabin crew and ground staff. The refresh comes after the airline crew had spent many years with the same uniform: simple dark-blue dresses and thin neck-scarves or twillies female crew, blue suits and white shirts for male crew.
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| El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. | Details |
|---|---|
| ICAO Code | ELY |
| Callsign | EL AL |
| Country | Israel |
| Founded | November 15, 1948 |
| Headquarters | Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Main Hub | Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) |
| Fleet Size (2025) | 51 aircraft |
| Aircraft Types Operated | Boeing 737-800, 737-900ER, 777-200ER, 787-8, 787-9 |
| Average Fleet Age | ~11.6 years (Source: Planespotters.net – 2025) |
| Destinations | ~50 cities across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia |
| Key Focus Cities | Tel Aviv (TLV), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Paris (CDG), London (LHR) |
| Parent Company | El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (publicly listed on TASE) |
| Alliance Membership | Non-aligned (independent carrier) |
| Subsidiaries / Partners | Sun d’Or International Airlines (charter subsidiary), UP by El Al (defunct low-cost arm) |
| Employees | ~5,400 |
| Revenue (2024) | Approx. US $2.4 billion (Source: El Al Annual Report 2024) |
El Al’s New Uniform: Motivation and Context
El Al says the new uniform initiative is designed to “reflect professionalism, modernity, comfort, and Israeli pride.” This move comes after international carriers begin to resume flights to Israel after cancellations following the October 7, 2023 attacks. During heightened tensions in the Middle east, particularly near Israel’s conflict with Iran, Ben Guiron Airport had to be closed. But last month, there was a ceasefire in the Israel Palestine conflict, making way for international carriers to operate in Israel.
It is expected that the El Al will conduct surveys and workshops to determine comfort and practicality requirements: After all, the carrier has said that “the project will include an in-depth study of crew needs, on-site consultations, fabric selection, and the creation of tailored designs for each role“.
El Al’s Uniform Redesign: Process and Expected Rollout
EL AL has chosen Renuar as the company that will spearhead the design of its new uniform. This will mean that the fashin enterprise will look into things such as fabric selection, sketches and design development tailored by employee role.
While it was not clear in El Al’s Facebook post whether the uniform of pilots (deadhead pilots and otherwise) would also get a revamp as it said that the design was for “our cabin and ground crews” Lee Ben Hamo, El Al’s Head of Marketing Communications and Customer Experience, commented, the following (as quoted in Runway Girl Network), and made clear that even pilot uniforms would be redesigned:
“After many years in which our people have provided service wearing EL AL’s familiar uniforms, we are now embarking on an exciting process of refreshing the uniforms for both air and ground crews.”
Photo: ELALUK-X
The carrier says that it has nearly 5400 employees. We don’t really know exactly how many pilots the carrier employees. According to planespotters.net, the carrier has 51 aircraft:
| Aircraft Type | In Service | Parked | Total (Active) | Future Orders | Average Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737 | 26 | 2 | 28 | 11 | 18.2 years |
| Boeing 777 | 5 | 1 | 6 | – | 22.4 years |
| Boeing 787 Dreamliner | 16 | 1 | 17 | – | 6.5 years |
| Total | 47 | 4 | 51 | 11 | 14.8 years (average) |
If we’re assuming that the carrier has hired ten pilots per aircraft, the total number of pilots in its fleet becomes nearly 500. United Airlines, for example, operates a fleet of 1056 aircraft, and employs 17,813 professional pilots. El Al employs nearly 600 pilots, who in 2018 received 6% of the pre-tax profit, or nearly $41 million: each pilot had received a bonus of $67,600.
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Back then, the number of employees the carrier had were:
- Flight stewards: 1,363
- Service workers: 1,470
- Maintenance workers: 1,083
- Other employees: 1,018
These numbers give us a scale of how many new uniforms might need to be rolled out. No firm launch date has yet been provided. El Al simply states that the new uniform collection would be rolled out soon without a confirmation on the date. Nevertheless, Yifat Pasternak, VP Marketing at Renuar, had commented how it “a great honour to take part in designing the uniforms for Israel’s largest airline”
The meeting between contemporary Israeli fashion and EL AL’s heritage and history is an exciting and natural connection. We will bring to the project the values that guide us — innovation, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of fashion along with the needs of EL AL’s service personnel who will wear these uniforms
A competitive environment in Israeli’s market and Reopening of skies
El Al has been working to ensure that it elevates in onboard experience, especially given the fact that the carrier has introduced the Boeing 787 Dreamliners- an upgrade to the experience previously. After many international carriers shut down the operations to and from Israel following the October 7 attacks, El Al “found itself in the rather odd position of becoming one of the only ways for people to get to Israel after international rivals withdrew from the Israeli market for long periods“, reported Paddle Your Own Kanoo:
El Al has portrayed itself as a beacon of national pride, maintaining an airbridge to Israel while international carriers abandoned passengers. This narrative has not, however, always been plain sailing. With El Al being the only airline operating to many destinations, the carrier was accused of price gouging, leading to bumper profits. Those accusations have been reinforced by the airline’s objection to the low-cost European airline Wizz Air proposing to open a base in Tel Aviv.
As major carriers around the world have resumed their services to Tel Aviv, and it has been reported that the prices of airfares have also got down. The Times of Israel also reported that the fares on the New York – Tel Aviv route has gone down as much as 50%. Here’s a look at some of the airlines that have resumed their operations to Tel Aviv and helped bring airfares down.
| Airline | Route(s) Resumed | Restart Date | Frequency / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada (AC) | Toronto (YYZ) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | October 9, 2025 | Daily flights resumed the same day as the ceasefire |
| Iberia (IB) | Madrid (MAD) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | End of October 2025 | Service resuming after wartime suspension |
| British Airways (BA) | London Heathrow (LHR) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | End of October 2025 | Expected to resume late October |
| Eurowings (EW) | Various German cities – Tel Aviv (TLV) | End of October 2025 | Resuming service after suspension |
| Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) | Copenhagen (CPH) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | End of October 2025 | Two weekly flights; first since 2016 |
| United Airlines (UA) | Newark (EWR) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | July 2025 | Direct service resumed mid-war |
| United Airlines (UA) | Chicago (ORD) & Washington (IAD) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | November 2025 | Flights restarting following Newark resumption |
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | New York (JFK) – Tel Aviv (TLV) | September 1, 2025 | Seven weekly flights |
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Similar uniform redesigns (as El Al’s) in aviation
Post Covid, a number of airlines have opted for a redesign of their uniform. Let’s take a look at a few and their purpose behind it.
| Airline | Announcement year | Key design/roll-out details | Why the redesign matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air India | 2023 |
|
Marks a branding refresh aligned with fleet upgrades and shifting global ambitions |
| Air New Zealand | Announced 2023-2025 (roll-out 2025) |
|
Demonstrates brand renewal and operational alignment in post-COVID era |
| Qantas Airways (Australia) | Announced 2025; launch 2027 |
|
Part of major transformation (fleet, long-haul strategy) — uniform becomes brand signal |
| Delta Air Lines | Announced 2025 |
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