Amid unprecedented geopolitical turbulence, EL AL Airlines has solidified its role as Israel’s primary lifeline to the international community. Speaking yesterday at The Jerusalem Post 2026 New York Conference, Sharon Brownstone, Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Risk Officer of El Al, detailed how the national carrier balances intense risk mitigation with aggressive global growth.
The discussion took place during a high-profile panel titled "Innovation to Impact: Building Israel’s Next Economic Engine," which was moderated by Dr. Efraim Chalamish, Professor at NYU, Senior Advisor at Kroll, and International Media Commentator & Columnist. The panel focused on how Israeli corporations maintain strategic continuity and economic momentum during national crises.
Brownstone highlighted that since hostilities began on October 7, EL AL’s leadership has had to navigate extreme uncertainty, where a single security threat can instantly derail months of planning. She pointed out that just one missile aimed at Tel Aviv or Ben Gurion Airport can fully disrupt an entire day's operations. "I don't think there is another airline in the world that has suffered such a big disruption and got over it, I have to say, very quickly," she noted.
Despite these compounding operational strains, Brownstone emphasized that EL AL’s core mission remains unchanged: to serve as an unshakeable bridge connecting Israel to the global community. Remarkably, rather than contracting its operations, the airline has pursued an ambitious strategy of network expansion.
Brownstone announced major network milestones, including the reopening of the San Francisco route with three weekly flights after a multi-year hiatus, alongside the launch of 11 new routes. "The one thing that was very clear to us from the very beginning of October 7," she concluded, "is that EL AL should stay the bridge to Israel, from Israel to the world and from the world to Israel. And it doesn't matter how much it takes and what we have to do in order to maintain it, we kept the airspace open."
Written in collaboration with EL AL