“Wing of Zion,” Israel’s “Air Force One” was officially certified on Sunday by aviation authorities but subsequent reports said that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Issac Herzog haven’t taken any steps to use it yet, with several approvals still needed from the Prime Minister’s Office before the plane can officially be used.

The development of the plane, which cost NIS 750 million ($241 million) and has been years in the making, was initiated by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in 2014 for use by Israel’s prime minister and president. Netanyahu’s opponents, including current members of the coalition, claimed at the time that the plane was just was an expensive ego trip (pun intended.) Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in the past that he would never use the plane and in recent months even pushed to sell it.

However, supporters of the initiative, including senior Israeli defense officials, say that the plane is necessary for the safety of Israel’s leadership. Additionally, according to the chairman of the Israel Aerospace Industries workers union, Yair Katz, who unveiled Wing of Zion on Wednesday, the current practice of chartering planes from Israeli airlines is even more costly.

Wing of Zion, a 20-year-old 767 Boeing plane, has been renovated with a private office, a bedroom with a bathroom and shower, a kitchen, a conference room, and a war room.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Wednesday that Bennett does intend to use Wing of Zion. “Bennett intends to use it and has instructed his office to advance the approvals,” she said. “There’s no reason it should just sit unused in the warehouse and there’s no point in spending money on commercial flights.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)