Israeli prime minister's plane, 'Wing of Zion,' to finally make maiden flight

After years of waiting, the "Wing of Zion" aircraft, which is to ferry Israel's most senior officials, will finally make its maiden flight in November. 

President Yitzhak Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will board the Boeing aircraft for a climate conference in Dubai, scheduled for November 30 to December 12. An operational test flight is also scheduled to take place in a week's time. 

On Monday, the aircraft and crew flew to Cyprus, where the Prime Minister is on an official visit, to familiarize themselves with the aircraft's capabilities.

Purchased in 2019, the aircraft was grounded in 2020, due to fears that its exorbitant price tag would spark controversy due to the coronavirus crisis the country was going through at the time.

Although the "Wing of Zion" is equipped with an operating theatre similar to that of the "Air Force 1," it is far from being a symbol of luxury. More than two decades old and with around 120 seats, two-thirds of them in economy class, the aircraft has retained its original seats without entertainment systems for safety reasons.

The State Comptroller's report reveals that certain safety modifications were implemented late, due in part to the late integration of the requirements of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service. 

The aircraft's costs have risen by 60 percent, to around 200 million dollars, as a result of last-minute changes to safety and layout specifications. 

Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid had even considered selling the aircraft, which led to the temporary dismantling of some of its systems, including a missile defense system that has since been reinstalled.