View source for El Al

== Accidents and incidents ==
[[File:Monument Bijlmerramp.jpg|thumb|Monument for the [[El Al Flight 1862|Bijlmer disaster]], Amsterdam of 4 October 1992. The monument was designed by architect Herman Hertzberger together with survivors.]]

Over its history, El Al has been involved in the following incidents and accidents, involving both the aircraft actually operated by the airline and its outstations abroad. Most of these incidents are motivated by the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]], particularly [[Palestinian political violence|Palestinian terrorism]] against the airline in the period between 1968 and 1990, and so incidents are separated by terrorist, politically-motivated non-terrorist, and non-politically-motivated incidents. Despite these attacks, El Al has not lost a passenger on any passenger flight since 1955.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/dblist.php?sorteer=datekey_desc&kind=%&cat=%&page=1&field=Operatorkey&var=6283|title=ASN Aviation Safety Database - El Al Israel Airlines|access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref>

=== Terrorist attacks and incidents ===
*On 23 July 1968, [[El Al Flight 426 hijacking]], operated by a [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-458C]] en route from London to [[Tel Aviv]] via Rome, registered 4X-ATA, was hijacked by three members of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP) shortly after take-off from Rome-[[Leonardo da Vinci Airport|Fiumicino]] airport and forcibly diverted to [[Houari Boumediene Airport|Algiers]]. The hijacking ended after 40 days and is considered to be the only successful hijacking involving an El Al jet.
*On 18 February 1969, [[El Al Flight 432 attack]], operated [[Boeing 720|Boeing 720-058B]], registered 4X-ABB, was attacked at [[Zurich Airport]] by members of the PFLP while taxiing for takeoff en route from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv, via a Zurich intermediate stop. Seven people were wounded including the copilot who later died from his wounds. In a firefight involving security personnel aboard the aircraft, one hijacker was killed, while the others were arrested. The hijackers were later put on trial in [[Winterthur]], Switzerland but were released following the [[Dawson's Field hijackings]] one year later.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.idéesuisse.ch/252.0.html?&no_cache=1&L=0&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1636&tx_ttnews%5Blist%5D=182%2C267%2C87%2C1636%2C509 | title=El Al hijack | access-date=2008-01-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729235258/http://www.xn--idesuisse-c4a.ch/252.0.html?&no_cache=1&L=0&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1636&tx_ttnews%5Blist%5D=182%2C267%2C87%2C1636%2C509 | archive-date=2013-07-29 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
*On 6 September 1970, [[El Al Flight 219]] from Tel Aviv to New York, with a stopover in Amsterdam, operated by a Boeing 707-458C registered 4X-ATB, was the target of an attempted hijacking by [[Leila Khaled]] and [[Patrick Argüello]], members of the [[Sandinistas]] working in concert with the PLFP after taking off from Amsterdam. The hijacking was meant to be one of the [[Dawson's Field hijackings]], but it was thwarted by the pilots, cabin crew and the on-board air marshals. The aircraft diverted to [[Heathrow Airport]], where Argüello and Khaled were turned over to British authorities; Argüello, who was shot earlier, died en route to a hospital.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ginsburg|first1=Mitch|title=How to thwart a gunman at 29,000 feet, by the only pilot who ever did|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/how-to-defeat-airplane-terrorists-from-the-only-pilot-who-ever-foiled-a-skyjacking/|access-date=10 July 2015|newspaper=Times of Israel|date=24 March 2014}}</ref>
*On 16 August 1972, a bomb exploded in the luggage compartment of El Al Flight 444 shortly after takeoff from [[Leonardo da Vinci International Airport|Rome]]. The plane returned to Rome safely and no casualties were recorded. The bomb had been hidden in the luggage of two British nationals who had the bombs placed there by Arab acquaintances.
*In January 1975, several men, including [[Carlos the Jackal]], made unsuccessful attempts to destroy an El Al airliner parked at [[Orly Airport|Paris Orly Airport]].<ref name="ensalaco">{{cite book|last=Ensalaco|first=Mark|title=Middle Eastern terrorism: from Black September to September 11|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|year=2008|page=80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i7KIa3VuD04C&q=johannes+weinrich+orly&pg=PA80 | isbn=978-0-8122-4046-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kushner |first1=Harvey W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mr51AwAAQBAJ&q=el+al+carlos+jan+1975&pg=PA322 |title=Encyclopedia of Terrorism |date=2003 |publisher=Sage Publications |isbn=0761924086 |location=London |page=322 |author-link=Harvey Kushner |access-date=5 October 2015}}</ref>
*On 27 December 1985, guerrillas of the [[Fatah Revolutionary Council]] attacked El Al and TWA ticket counters [[Rome and Vienna airport attacks|at Rome and Vienna's airports]], killing 18 people.<ref name="TVNZ">{{cite web | url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/113967 | title=A history of El Al incidents | access-date=2007-05-28 | publisher=One News}}</ref>
*A terrorist attack was foiled on 18 April 1986 in what became known as the [[Hindawi Affair]]. Anne-Marie Murphy was about to board an El Al flight at London's Heathrow airport when her bag was found to contain three pounds of plastic explosives. These had been planted by her fiancé [[Nezar Hindawi]], who was booked on a different flight. Hindawi was jailed for 45 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article493799.ece |title=El Al bomber too dangerous to release, court rules |newspaper=Times Online |date=2004-10-13 |last=Booth |first=Jenny |quote=His sentence of 45 years is believed to be the longest specific jail term ever imposed by an English court. |access-date=2007-05-23 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310232820/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article493799.ece |archive-date=March 10, 2007 }}</ref> There was evidence that [[Syria]]n officials were involved and as a result, Britain cut off diplomatic relations with Syria.<ref>{{cite news |author=Pipes |first=Daniel |date=Spring 1989 |title=Terrorism: The Syrian Connection |url=http://www.danielpipes.org/article/1064 |access-date=2007-05-07 |work=The National Interest}}</ref>
*On 4 July 2002, [[Hesham Mohamed Hadayet]] shot six Israeli passengers at El Al's ticket counter at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] before he was shot and killed by an El Al security guard.<ref>{{cite news|title=Los Angeles airport shooting kills 3 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/07/04/la.airport.shooting/ |date=2002-07-05 |work=[[CNN]] |access-date=2007-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041204221915/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/07/04/la.airport.shooting/ |archive-date=2004-12-04 }}</ref> Two of the victims died. Although not linked to any terrorist group, Hadayet, an Egyptian, espoused anti-Israeli views and was opposed to US policy in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/04/12/airport.shooting/ |title=FBI, Justice: El Al attack was terrorism |date=2003-04-12 |access-date=2007-04-29 |work=[[CNN]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203145025/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/04/12/airport.shooting/ |archive-date=February 3, 2007 }}</ref> The US [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] classified the shooting as a [[terrorist act]], one of the few on US soil since the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]].
*On 17 November 2002, El Al Flight 581, a flight operated by a [[Boeing 767-200ER|Boeing 767-258(ER)]] from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, registered 4X-EBS, was the scene of an attempted hijacking by Tawfiq Fukra. Fukra attempted to break into the cockpit in order to fly the aircraft back to Israel and crash it into a building. He was apprehended by on-board security personnel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2486935.stm|title=Passengers recall El Al 'hijack' terror|access-date=2007-05-30|date=2002-11-18|work=BBC }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E0D61738F934A15752C1A9649C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fH%2fHijacking|title=Man Denies Trying To Hijack El Al Plane|access-date=2007-05-30|last=Fisher|first=Ian|date=2002-11-27|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=633793|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001105046/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=633793|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2007|title= El Al hijacker released to house arrest|access-date=2007-05-30|author1=Ashkenazi, Eli|author2=Khoury, Jack|date=2005-10-11|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref>

=== Politically-motivated incidents which are not terrorist attacks ===
*In February 2026, El Al Flight LY6 flight from [[Los Angeles International Airport]] to Tel Aviv was delayed after “Free Palestine” stickers were found attached to around 140 checked suitcases, prompting airline staff to remove the luggage and initiate individual security checks to rule out explosives before departure. The scheduled departure was delayed by nearly two hours and the flight eventually departed without the affected bags, which were later sent on subsequent flight.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-19 |title=Anti-Israel activists stick 'Free Palestine' stickers on luggage of El Al passengers |url=https://allisraelnews.com/anti-israel-activists-place-free-palestine-stickers-on-el-al-passengers-suitcases |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=All Israel News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=140 'Israeli' passengers’ bags held back over ‘Free Palestine’ stickers |url=https://en.royanews.tv/news/67882 |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=Roya News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Eichner |first=Itamar |last2=Eichner |first2=Itamar |date=2026-02-18 |title='Free Palestine' stickers placed on 140 El Al passengers’ suitcases |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/bkw4otx00bl |access-date=2026-02-21 |work=Ynetglobal |language=en}}</ref>

=== Other accidents and incidents ===
*On 24 November 1951, a [[Douglas DC-4]], registered 4X-ADN, on a cargo flight from [[Ben Gurion Airport|Tel Aviv]] to [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]] via [[Zurich Airport|Zurich]] crashed on approach to Zürich, killing 6 crew members.<ref>{{cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident description Douglas DC-4 4X-ADN&nbsp;— Zürich-Kloten |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/335726 |access-date=2007-05-29 |website=Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}</ref>
*On 27 July 1955, a [[Lockheed Constellation]] operating [[El Al Flight 402]], registered 4X-AKC, was shot down by two [[Bulgarian Air Force]] fighter jets over [[Blagoevgrad]], near [[Sofia]], Bulgaria, after it strayed into Bulgarian airspace in rough weather. All 58 passengers and crew were killed.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,807400,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705102324/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,807400,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 5, 2007|magazine=Time |date=1955-08-08|title=Through the Curtain|access-date=2007-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident description Lockheed L-149 Constellation 4X-AKC&nbsp;— Petrich |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/334858 |access-date=2007-05-29 |website=Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Yossi |last=Melman |title=An investigation behind bars |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=886367 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=2007-10-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517191959/http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=886367 |archive-date=May 17, 2008 }}
</ref>
* On 4 October 1992, [[El Al Flight 1862]], a cargo flight from New York to Tel Aviv via Amsterdam, operated by a Boeing 747-258F cargo plane registered 4X-AXG, crashed into two highrise apartment buildings in [[Bijlmermeer]], a neighborhood of Amsterdam, shortly after takeoff and while attempting to return to Amsterdam. The crash was caused by structural failure of the fuse pins on the #3 engine, causing that engine to detach from the aircraft, knocking off the #4 engine with it. The three crew members, one passenger in a jump seat, and 39 people on the ground were killed.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/325426 | title=Accident description El Al 1862 | access-date=2007-05-07 | publisher=Aviation Safety}}</ref>