Transport Minister Yisrael Katz was present today at the arrival ceremony of the first Dreamliner ("The Dream Airplane") of El Al Airlines to Ben Gurion Airport.
As stated in the press release of the Ministry of Transport, the Dreamliner, which arrived in Israel today, is the first of 16 such aircraft, and part of the largest-scale program for replenishing the fleet of El Al.
As Minister Yazel Katz said during the ceremony, the acquisition of Dreamliners shows the development of El Al and its integration into the Open Skies program. It also expresses the depth of the relationship between Israel and the United States. The reform "Open Skies" started about five years ago. The Israelis do not stop reaping the fruits of this agreement.
In July this year, the passenger flow of the Ben-Gurion Airport was about 2.2 million people. Another one million air travelers used this air harbor for the first two weeks of August.
"More than eight years ago, when I assumed the post of Minister of Transport, the annual passenger flow of Ben Gurion Airport was 9 million. According to forecasts, in 2017, this figure will exceed 19 million people, "the minister summed up, after which he touched on foreign policy issues:
"The Union between Israel and the United States is based on common values and similar interests, and is the main anchor of stability in the region. Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East and the only ally the United States can rely on at a difficult hour.
We cooperate in the field of intelligence in the fight against the threat of Sunni terror led by IGIL and Al-Qaeda and in the fight against Shiite subversive activities and terror with the support of Iran. It is impossible to allow Iran to create military bases in Syria and open a front with Israel on our northern border. Iran can not be allowed to create a land corridor that will connect Tehran and Beirut.
The United States should regain its leading position in the region. The policy of the past American administration - to be led - has failed. This allowed the Iranian axis of evil to become an influential force that threatened US allies in the region. Israel will defend its security against any threat, "said Israel Katz.
