Netanyahu and Herzog will wait: another delay in the operation of the "Zion Wing" plane Israel today

Another delay:

the operation of the plane of the heads of state, "Zion Wing", will begin only in a few months, with the completion of the operational, logistical and systemic preparations required for this, Israel Hayom has learned.

This means that President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu will fly to the upcoming political visits in chartered planes. 

Yesterday (Monday) the Prime Minister's Office published a first tender for the manager of the state's chief aircraft array.

The holder of this position should establish the directorate which will be responsible for all aspects of the operation of the aircraft, with the exception of the flight itself and technical maintenance.

The director will be responsible for coordinating the activities with all the bodies involved in the flights of the Prime Minister and the President.

This refers to relations and coordination with the Ministry of Defense, the Air Force, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Airports Authority, Shin Bet, the Visits Division and the Security Division in the Prime Minister's Office and more.

The plane "Zion Wing" of the State of Israel, photo: Koko

Herzog and Netanyahu (archive).

Soon the heads of state will fly in the plane, photo: Oren Ben Hakon

Only after all the officials have been recruited into the formation and the procedures and arrangements for the implementation of the flights have been established, the operational operation of "Zion Wing" will begin.

It is estimated that this is a process that will last several months.

This means that President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu will still make the upcoming political trips on chartered planes from El Al.

Another significant difficulty in operating the aircraft is the recruitment and training of air crews for the Boeing 767 model, since this old type of aircraft has not been active in Israel for several years.

This process also takes several months and the one who is supposed to carry it out is the Air Force, which will be responsible for the flight itself.

However, the aircraft itself is operationally fit to fly with passengers.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Refused to operate the plane, photo: Oren Ben Hakon

The construction of the Zion wing was completed nearly two years ago, but the previous Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, vetoed its use, despite the huge loss involved for the state treasury.

As a result, the process of making the aircraft operational was stopped for a year and a half, during which it could be used.

About a decade ago, Judge Goldberg's committee decided on the necessity of a special plane for the heads of state, as is customary in the world.

One of her main reasons was the lack of means of communication with the Prime Minister and his people while they are in the air.

At the same time, State Comptroller Mateniho Engelman published a very harsh report last year on the "Knaf Zion" aircraft project. According to the report, the cost of the aircraft project was NIS 137 million higher than the estimate presented to the cabinet.

The reason for this, according to the report, is that the estimate of the cost of the plane did not include VAT.

The Prime Minister's Office responded: "The Prime Minister's Office made sure to maintain the serviceability of the 'Kenaf Zion' aircraft, which allows it to be fully operational within a few months."

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