[Australia]: Message to El Al [SEC=SECRET]

[Owen]

​

MINISTER FOR SHIPPING AND AVIATION​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET​

5 April 2009

Dear CEO of El Al, The Australian Jewish community has long strived for a direct connection to Israel, their promised land. For a long time this has not been possibly, but with the advent of the Boeing 787 and the Boeing 777 aircraft, distances such as Tel Aviv to Melbourne are now possible. Melbourne is home to Australia's largest Jewish population and has a long history of being at the forefront of Jewish life in Australia. We would like to see El Al services begin between Tel Aviv and Melbourne. The Government is enthusiastic about this idea and we are willing to speed up the process of El Al obtaining a Foreign Air Transport Air Operators Certificate by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and also getting regulatory approval from the International Air Services Commission. We understand the sensitive security needs of El Al and therefore we will allow access to dedicated interview and frisk and search rooms at Melbourne Airport, along with armed Australian Federal Police protection and escorts for aircraft on the ground and also for staff moving through the terminal. Yours sincerely, Kelvin Thomson.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

Zak

 

[Zak]

EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES LTD.​

Dear Kelvin Thomson,

We are deeply appreciative of the longstanding support that the Australian Jewish community has shown for Israel and for El Al. We recognize Melbourne's significance as home to Australia's largest Jewish population and understand the importance that a direct air link would have for families, business travellers, tourists, and those travelling for religious and cultural purposes.

We also appreciate the Australian Government's willingness to facilitate the regulatory approval process, including assistance with obtaining the necessary operating authorizations and your recognition of El Al's unique security requirements. The offer of dedicated security facilities and support from the Australian Federal Police demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring the safe and secure operation of our services.

Following discussions with our Network Planning, Commercial, Operations, and Security departments, I am pleased to advise that El Al has agreed in principle to commence direct scheduled passenger services between Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport and Melbourne Airport, subject to the completion of the remaining regulatory approvals and operational preparations.

Our route planning team has concluded that Melbourne represents a strategically important destination.

Over the coming months, our teams will work closely with Melbourne Airport, the Australian Government, aviation regulators, and our operational partners to finalise the route launch. This work will include establishing flight schedules, ground handling arrangements, security procedures, maintenance support, and commercial preparations.

We look forward to announcing the inaugural Tel Aviv–Melbourne service once all regulatory and operational milestones have been completed. We are confident that this route will become an important bridge between Israel and Australia and will serve the needs of both the Australian Jewish community and the wider travelling public.

Kind Regards,
Levi HaLevi
Chief Executive Officer
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd.

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Owen

 

[Owen]

​

MINISTER FOR SHIPPING AND AVIATION​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET​

22 April 2009

Dear Mr. HaLevi, Regulatory approval has been granted, the details of your Foreign Air Transport Air Operators Certificate, to allow El Al to operate to Australia, is below: Airline: Country of Registration: Approved operating fleet: Airports flying to: Dangerous Goods Approval: Contact: El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. Israel Boeing 777-200ER Boeing 787-8 Boeing 787-9 Melbourne-Tullamarine International Airport Yes Levi HaLevi (CEO) Furthermore, your case within the International Air Services Commission has been approved to enable the flying of the route between Tel Aviv and Melbourne. Destination Country: Date of Application: Airline: Codeshares: Frequency: Seat Capacity: Status: Israel 22/04/2009 El Al Israel Airlines Qantas Air New Zealand 5 per week 1,600 per week Approved We hope to hear an announcement on the launching of the route shortly. Yours sincerely, Kelvin Thomson.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

Zak