El Al lost $140 million, about half a billion NIS, in the first quarter of 2020, according to a report by the company on Tuesday.
The pilot's union announced on Tuesday evening that after "the administration of the company did not even respect the agreements that were signed with the union less than a month ago, the union had no choice but to arrive to the conclusion that the owners of the company are unable to save it from its situation," KAN news reported. The dispute between the pilots and the company was also caused by the refusal by El Al to transfer Boeing 737 pilots to Dreamliner aircraft for cargo and passenger flights, according to Maariv.
El Al announced that it was in advanced stages of arriving to an agreement to receive aid from the government, but still needed the agreement of the workers and unions in order to receive the aid."The July commercial activity was planned out with great effort and the company intends to realize it fully, for this purpose there are active pilots and operating personnel," El Al said in a statement. "The flights are ready for staffing, and we expect the active pilots to take responsibility and agree to man the flights. It is a lie to say that El Al has stopped flights or decided not to fly for commercial reasons."
Since the coronavirus crisis began, about 100 pilots have continued working for El Al, while the rest are on unpaid leave.