Most Jewish Passengers on a Single Flight
Record holder
Record value
1,087 verified Jewish passengers on a single flight
Holder country: IsraelAchievement location: Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAchievement date: 24 May 1991Current record
Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records
Ethiopian Jewish passengers aboard an El Al Boeing 747 during Operation Solomon, photographed on 25 May 1991. The photograph illustrates the airlift; it is not used to establish the exact record-flight passenger count.Michael Zarfati / IDF Spokesperson's Unit / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0
Official record definition
The greatest verified number of Jewish passengers carried aboard a single completed aircraft flight. JWR records the conservative documented minimum when authoritative sources disagree on the exact onboard total.
Measurement methodology
documented passenger count aboard one completed aircraft flight
Measurement point: El Al Boeing 747 record flight during Operation Solomon
Record story
During Operation Solomon on 24 May 1991, an El Al Boeing 747 carried an extraordinary number of Ethiopian Jewish passengers from Addis Ababa to Israel in one of the most remarkable rescue airlifts in aviation history. JWR uses the conservative verified figure of 1,087 Jewish passengers, based on the official IDF account, while Guinness World Records reports an official total of 1,088 and notes that contemporary sources gave conflicting totals. Guinness also records an extraordinary detail: its 1,088 total includes two babies born during the flight. If counted in the onboard total, the births meant the aircraft landed with more people aboard than had originally boarded. Because the historical passenger totals differ between authoritative sources, JWR preserves 1,087 as its verified record value while presenting the in-flight births as a sourced historical detail.
Media
Gallery
Ethiopian Jewish immigrants arriving at Ben Gurion Airport during Operation Solomon, 24 May 1991. Context image for the wider rescue airliftIDF Spokesperson's Unit / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0
How JWR verified this record
- Verification date
- 16 September 2026
- Verification standard
- JWR Verification Standard 1.0
Achievement evidence
Official IDF evidence documents 1,087 Ethiopian Jewish passengers on the record El Al Boeing 747 flight. Guinness World Records identifies the same Operation Solomon flight as the overall aircraft-passenger record, publishes 1,088 as its official total, notes conflicting contemporary counts, and states that the 1,088 total includes two babies born during the flight. JWR therefore retains 1,087 as the conservative verified Jewish-passenger count.
Superiority evidence
Guinness identifies the Operation Solomon El Al Boeing 747 flight as the uncontested overall aircraft-passenger record. Because the record flight's passengers were Ethiopian Jews, no separate higher Jewish-passenger counter-candidate can exceed the overall record. JWR therefore verifies the conservative minimum of 1,087 Jewish passengers.
Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR
Jewish eligibility verification
Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.
- Operation Solomon — The Jewish Agency for Israel
Achievement / record verification
Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.
- מבצע שלמה — Israel Defense Forces
Superiority / counter-candidate verification
Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.
- Most passengers on an aircraft — Guinness World Records
Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.
Sources & Verification
Most passengers on an aircraft
Reference databaseGuinness World Records
What this proves: Identifies the Operation Solomon El Al Boeing 747 as the uncontested overall aircraft-passenger record; publishes 1,088 as the official total, explicitly notes conflicting contemporary totals, and states that the 1,088 includes two babies born during the flight.
Official recordThe Jewish Agency for Israel
What this proves: Documents the 24–25 May 1991 airlift of Ethiopian Jews and establishes the Jewish-passenger context; not used for the exact 1,087 count.
Official recordIsrael Defense Forces
What this proves: States that Arieh Oz landed with 1,087 people on the Boeing 747 and that the number earned a Guinness record; context is the rescue of Ethiopian Jews.
Official recordJDC
What this proves: Documents the 36-hour rescue operation and the airlift of more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
Operation Solomon IDF Archives I image by Michael Zarfati — Wikimedia Commons
Independent publicationWikimedia Commons· 25 May 1991
What this proves: Documents the Michael Zarfati / IDF Spokesperson photograph of Ethiopian Jewish passengers aboard an El Al Boeing 747 during Operation Solomon, and its Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license and VRT-confirmed permission. Does not independently verify the precise 1,087 count or the identity of the record flight.
History
Verified
Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.
Publishedv1
Published to the official JWR registry.