El Al Approved 5 Year strategic Plan

El Al Israel Airlines announced last week that its board of directors had approved the new "El Al 2010" five-year strategic plan.
 
The five-year strategic plan includes improving the airline's financial results, increasing sales and profitability. The plan also set several goals for the improvement of customer service and encouraging operational excellence in customer service, the development of traffic to and from Israel as well as additional revenue sources in ground services, maintenance and tourism.
 
One of the main goals set up by the five-year strategic plan is the developing of Ben Gurion International Airport as a flight hub and gateway to and from Asia as part of its growth strategy to becoming a global aviation player. The carrier noted it was looking to forge new alliances with other airlines and invest in equipment including up-to-date aircraft for long-haul flights.
 
Haim Romano, El Al's president, told a press conference at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport that El Al planned to buy two new long-haul planes for up to USD$270 million and the company would decide within the next three months whether to continue buying Boeing aircraft or switch to rival Airbus for the first time.
 
He added that El Al will choose between Boeing 777-200 ER or Airbus A340-200 planes to upgrade its long-haul fleet.