DefenseIsrael moves government Boeing 767 to Berlin amid regional escalation
Israel has flown its official government aircraft, known as “Wing of Zion”, to Germany and parked it at Berlin’s airport following U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a wider regional conflict.
German government sources said the aircraft’s arrival had been coordinated in advance and that only crew members were on board.
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft departing Israel on Saturday afternoon, circling over the Mediterranean before proceeding to Germany later in the day.
The Wing of Zion is a Boeing 767-300ER that serves as Israel’s dedicated state aircraft for official government travel. The twin-aisle jet was previously operated by Australian Airlines and Qantas before being acquired by Israel in 2016. At the time of purchase, the aircraft was approximately 20 years old.
After arriving in Israel, the 767 underwent a three-year conversion process to equip it for government missions. Modifications include a private office for the prime minister, a bedroom suite, a meeting room and a secure communications and command area often described as a war room. The aircraft conducted its first test flight in November 2019.
The project drew scrutiny in Israel after costs exceeded initial projections. The original budget of 393 million shekels (about $115 million at the time) rose to 580 million shekels by the time the aircraft first flew, a roughly 50% increase. Annual operating costs were estimated at 44.6 million shekels. Each transcontinental flight has been reported to cost more than $200,000 as of 2024.
In 2020, during the economic downturn linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prime minister’s office ordered the aircraft grounded amid concerns about public criticism. Although it received final regulatory approval in December 2021, successive prime ministers did not put it into regular service. The 767 was placed in maintenance storage at Nevatim Airbase in 2022 and was at one point considered for conversion into a military tanker or sale.
Following the 2022 election that returned Benjamin Netanyahu to office, the aircraft was reactivated. Its first official mission took place in July 2024 in support of a visit to the United States.
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