Israel promotes its ‘safe airline'

El Al will promote itself as the safest carrier in the sky.

El Al has hired its first UK PR agency, travel specialist The Brighter Group, for the comms offensive.

The airline has a stringent set of safety procedures that include armed undercover agents on board its planes. It also thoroughly interviews passengers as well as putting their bags through decompression chambers.

Brighter MD Matt Fearnley said: ‘Other airlines have started to catch up but El Al is by far the most sec­ure. It will be a challenge for us to extol the virtues of an airline that is very much linked to security – it could be controversial but we want security to be seen as a service.’

The strategy change is significant in that it is the first time that an airline has chosen to proactively talk about safety in its marketing.

Brighter’s brief also inc­ludes promoting El Al’s tour operating company, Superstar Holidays, for which the agency will be aiming to encourage Brits – whether Jewish or not – to visit Eilat and experience its year-round sun.