Israel's "Wing of Zion," a specially built and equipped jet commissioned to service Israeli leaders, will take its maiden voyage in November, transporting President Issac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Climate Summit in Dubai, where pollution caused by aviation, will be among the topics discussed.
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The use of the plane, which was commissioned by Netanyahu, was announced during his visit to Cyprus. A test flight is scheduled for later this month after its staffing has been completed. The crew accompanied the prime minister to observe the protocols and practices of an official visit.
The entire crew operating the aircraft has joined the current flight to Cyprus to witness its integration alongside the Prime Minister's entourage and the journalists. Leading the plane's staff is Eitan Liel, a former pilot.
The 20-year-old aircraft is equipped with a board room that can be turned into an operating theatre at the push of a button, similar to the one on Air Force One, used by the President of the United States.
It has 120 seats two-thirds of which have not been renovated or updated, mostly arranged like the economy class section on board any airliner and there is no entertainment system installed to prevent data leaks.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara board a plane to Cyprus on Sunday
(Photo: GPO)
The additional third section of the plane was fitted for use by the Prime Minister or President and includes a bedroom, a small shower, a makeup mirror, and seats for security personnel and secretaries. The Prime Minister's entourage will be assigned regular seats that do not recline.
The State Comptroller who reviewed the decision to acquire the plane and the cost of fitting it for use by the prime minister said in a report that changes required for security reasons, were done late, and extra costs, totaling some 60 million shekel, were incurred following design demands made by the PMO, in the section assigned to him. In total, the plane cost some 730 million shekel according to some estimates, while the PMO claims it had only cost 400 million, in the final calculation.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, rejected the use of a dedicated plane when he served as prime minister and instructed officials to consider its sale. During his term in office, missile defense systems were removed from the plane but were now returned.