A Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

JNS.org – El Al Israel Airlines on Wednesday announced that it is in advanced talks with Boeing to purchase and lease up to 15 new 787 Dreamliner aircraft over the next five years.

According to El Al, the deal is expected to be worth between $800-900 million, which would make it that largest purchase ever by the Israeli airline. The aircraft would go into service beginning in the first half of 2017 through 2020 and would replace the aging fleet of 747-400 and 767 aircraft on El Al’s lucrative Asian and North America destinations, including New York, Boston, and Toronto.

“El Al’s board today authorized the company to hold talks with Boeing over the acquisition of wide-body Dreamliner aircraft for the purchase and lease of 15 planes in the next five years,” El Al CEO David Maimon said in a statement.

Introduced in 2011, the Dreamliner is Boeing’s most technologically advanced aircraft. It utilizes lower cabin air pressure and a composite body to reduce jet lag and increase fuel efficiency.