At the beginning of the month, El Al launched a two-month pilot program under which one daily flight from JFK Airport in New York to Tel Aviv will be travel without and dead bodies on board. The goal of this program is to allow Kohanim to fly without concern about ritual impurity.
Many passengers are unaware, but on numerous flights, alongside regular baggage in the cargo hold, there are coffins transporting the deceased between countries for burial.
According to Jewish belief, Kohanim are prohibited from becoming ritually impure by coming into contact with a dead body, except for close relatives. In the past, El Al implemented a halachic solution using special covers to isolate the coffin from other passengers, but not everyone is satisfied with this measure.
In response to passenger demand, El Al initiated the pilot program for "corpse-free flights." In a message to travel agents in the U.S., El Al stated: "While some religious authorities permit Kohanim to fly under certain circumstances, others completely forbid it. To alleviate this concern, El Al is introducing a corpse-free flight option, ensuring that Kohanim passengers can fly without any concerns about ritual impurity."