Israeli airline El Al has been adding seats to its flights to bring home Israelis stuck abroad and reserve soldiers required to report for duty.
Passengers who agreed to this arrangement were seated in flight attendants' seats or, in some cases, even in extra seats in the cockpit.
There were reports that Boeing 787 planes, which typically carry up to 270 passengers, departed with around 30 additional passengers on board.
Similarly, Boeing 737 planes, which officially accommodate 175 passengers, flew with an additional ten people aboard.
The Civil Aviation Authority granted approval for this change, and passengers gave their consent to fly in this manner to minimize waiting times for their flights to Israel.
A first since Operation Solomon
Some passengers even resorted to sleeping on the floor of the planes. This marks the first significant example of this kind of operation since Operation Solomon in 1991, when El Al transported Ethiopian Jewry to Israel. During one flight, 1,086 passengers boarded an El Al Boeing 747, and 1,088 disembarked after two passengers gave birth during the flight.
One passenger returning to Israel from Tokyo via Bangkok shared their experience on Facebook.
According to the post, the terminal in Bangkok was crowded with young backpackers eager to return to Israel and enlist in the reserves. Before boarding started, passengers without seats were told to wait as the airline would attempt to accommodate everyone.
The El Al staff managed to find room for more than twenty young people, placing them in the crew's folding chairs. The captain then granted permission to board an additional ten passengers.
The passenger expressed their amazement at the sight of dozens of people seated on the floor, occupying every possible space, including near the cockpit, in business class, and throughout the plane.
El Al has recently faced turmoil due to the refusal of its owners, Kenny Rosenberg and his son Eli, to allow extensive operations on Shabbat, even during the war. El Al typically does not operate flights on Shabbat, but last weekend, four non-commercial and non-profit flights were carried out for reserve soldiers and security forces personnel stranded abroad at the start of the war.
These flights were financed by donations and covered by El Al, providing free transportation to the passengers. Since October 7, El Al has added an additional 108 flights to meet the increased demand for flights to Israel and counterbalance the suspension of flights by most foreign airlines. Notably, 21 flights were scheduled to Larnaca, 19 to Athens, 18 to New York, and 11 to Bangkok.