The ultimate definition of Hutzpa.. Note how he highlights the 1 billion NIS owed to customers. Meanwhile they are flying cargo and management gets salary
(Bloomberg) El Al CEO Says Government Bailout Terms Will Lead to Dissolution
El Al received new cost-cutting demands from Finance Ministry that are “inapplicable,” whose purpose is to lead to the teetering Israeli airliner’s dissolution, CEO Gonen Usishkin writes in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking the Israeli leader to reconsider the terms of the government bailout.
“As Prime Minister, you bear the ultimate responsibility that, after seventy-two years, El Al will reach the end of the road under your term, so we ask that a decision not be taken without being given the opportunity to present to you the implications of the new requirements of the Finance Ministry”: Usishkin
Dissolution of El Al would damage Israel’s national security because of the loss of an independent national airline
The possibility of layoffs for 10,000 households directly tied to El Al, and another 30,000 households with indirect ties to the company
A 2.5b shekel loss to GDP
Customers would lose out on over 1b shekels of refunds promised to them for canceled flights