In September 1948 EL AL operated its festive maiden flight, bringing home Israel's first President, Professor Haim Weizmann, from a diplomatic visit to Geneva. As the Swiss did not allow military planes to land in its territory, the young company embarked on a whirlwind operation that successfully converted a military Skymaster DC-4 into a civilian aircraft. "Rehovot" was the name given to the plane that opened the era of EL AL's civilian flights.
One year later the airline began to operate commercial flights to Rome and Paris. Before that, however, in early 1949, it took part in Operation Magic Carpet, which brought the Jews of Yemen to Israel. EL AL owes its name to David Remez, the first Minister of Transport, who based the name on a passage from the book of Hosea