Published on 6/30/2026
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Last update: 22:31 (Mecca time)
A partial response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to a request submitted by the Freedom of Information Movement under the Freedom of Information Act revealed some details of the cost of the Israeli Prime Minister’s plane, the Zion Wing, but left unanswered fundamental questions about the true cost of the project, according to a report published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
According to official documents, the “Zion Wing Plane” project was completed in December 2021, and its construction cost amounted to 364.91 million shekels ($122.5 million), but the response did not clarify whether this amount included the purchase price of the plane from the Australian airline “Qantas,” which amounted to 76 million shekels ($25.5 million), according to the newspaper’s report.
These numbers contradict the estimates of the Israeli Audit Bureau, which indicate that the total cost of the project amounted to about 729 million shekels ($244.5 million), which included purchasing the plane, modernizing it and converting it into a passenger plane designated for leadership, providing it with advanced communications and defense systems, in addition to establishing the necessary infrastructure for its operation, including a special hangar at the Nevatim air base.
Although the Prime Minister’s Office document shows that the construction cost does not exceed half the value estimated by the Audit Bureau for the entire project, it does not include a breakdown of the spending items, nor does it clarify whether it includes all components of the project, which leaves the final cost of the “Zion Wing” aircraft ambiguous.
Maintenance and operating costs
The completion of the “Zion Wing” project was followed by a transitional phase during which the aircraft and the infrastructure allocated to it underwent periodic maintenance work, which continued until August 2023, at a cost of 17.5 million shekels (about 6 million dollars).
The plane entered operational service in February 2024, via a flight to Athens, on which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not on board, before he officially launched its use on his first flight to Washington on July 22, 2024.
According to the data, the actual operating period of the aircraft began in September 2023, and the office agreed to disclose its operating costs until the end of 2025.
In 2023, operating expenses amounted to about 6.27 million shekels (nearly two million dollars).
In 2024, operating costs amounted to 34.18 million shekels ($11.5 million), as follows:
- NIS 18.28 million ($6 million) fixed payments.
- 8.55 million shekels ($3 million) variable payments depending on flight activity.
- NIS 7.35 million ($2.5 million) one-time payments (changes/upgrades and purchases).
In 2025, operating costs amounted to 18.67 million shekels ($6 million), as follows:
- NIS 13.17 million ($4.5 million) fixed payments.
- 5.5 million shekels (about $2 million) variable payments depending on flight activity.
- NIS 9 million ($3 million) one-time payments.
Low operating costs
Additional data indicates that total operating costs for the period from 2023 to 2025 amounted to NIS 60 million ($20 million), while costs in 2025 decreased by approximately 50% compared to 2024. This may be attributed to Netanyahu’s lack of travel over the past year due to the arrest warrants issued against him, as his trips were limited to Hungary and a few trips to the United States.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to disclose the costs of operating each “Zion Wing” flight separately, according to the following categories: the amount that includes the wages of the entire cabin crew, security costs, etc., in addition to any resources or infrastructure required for each flight, such as fuel, food and telephone communications, and the receipt of insurance coverage costs for each calendar year separately, with a distinction between the costs of passenger insurance, baggage insurance, and additional types of insurance, if any.
The reason for the rejection was justified by saying: “This is information whose disclosure in detail would constitute a violation of the security of the state or the safety or well-being of any person.” The request for periodic maintenance costs for each calendar year, including costs for aircraft cabin maintenance, repairs, design modifications and protection, was also rejected for the same reasons.
Hiding essential information
Lawyer Heidi Negev, chief executive of the Freedom of Information Movement, said: “By revealing the costs of operating the Zion Wing aircraft, it has become clear that it is a much more expensive option than leasing a plane for the prime minister’s use.”
She said it was infuriating that the Prime Minister’s Office was still concealing substantive information about costs, starting with one-time upgrades to the Zion Pavilion at a cost of NIS 7.35 million ($2.5 million).
