Hedva Opatovsky is the longest-serving flight attendant for El Al, the Israeli flag service
Ben Gurion Airport:
Hedva Opatovsky’s first flight to the United Arab Emirates was her final for El Al, the Israeli flag service whose routes she has plied by virtually a half-century of wars and peacemaking.
The airline’s longest-serving flight attendant retired on Wednesday after main the cabin crew on a groundbreaking return journey to Abu Dhabi with Israeli envoys who hammered out a deal normalising relations with the Gulf energy.
“That is the historic flight, I believe, in (my) 46 years – very, very emotional,” she instructed Reuters, referring to her lengthy profession with the airline. “It is a good alternative to open up different nations to make peace with us.”
“It is what we want for, all the time,” she mentioned, noting that the Hebrew for “whats up” or “goodbye” – “shalom” – additionally means “peace”.
When Opatovsky joined El Al, Israel was reeling from the 1973 Center East warfare. Three years later, her husband, an Israeli safety officer, accompanied diplomats who arrange peace talks with Egypt. An analogous take care of Jordan would comply with 20 years on.
She has attended to Israeli prime ministers and overseas dignitaries. Monday’s outgoing flight to Abu Dhabi handed over Saudi Arabia – a breakthrough for Israeli aviation that allowed her to gaze down on its huge and beforehand inaccessible desert.
Passengers applauded as Flight 972 – a nod to Israel’s phone code – landed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Opatovsky, retiring reluctantly at 67, bid them farewell over the PA system: “Could we all the time go in peace.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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