Challenge Airlines IL

{{Infobox airline

| airline = Challenge Airlines

| logo = CHALLENGE AIRLINES IL.jpg

| logo_size =

| fleet_size = 1

| destinations = 4

| IATA = 5C

| ICAO = ICL

| callsign = CAL

| parent =

| founded = 1976

| headquarters = Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel

| hubs =

| focus_cities =

| frequent_flyer =

| lounge =

| key_people =

| alliance =

| security_features =

| website = https://www.challenge-group.com/

}}

Challenge Airlines IL,{{Cite web |last=Jeffrey |first=Rebecca |date=2022-06-13 |title=CAL Cargo becomes Challenge Airlines IL |url=https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/freighter-operator/cal-cargo-becomes-challenge-airlines-il/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Air Cargo News|language=en}} formerly CAL Cargo Airlines Ltd. ({{langx|he|ק.א.ל. קווי אוויר למטען}}), is a cargo airline with its corporate headquarters in Shoham, Israel.

History

CAL was established in June 1976, starting charter operations in November of that year. Originally, the airline leased aircraft from El Al as required; however, on 1 December 1999, it began operating scheduled services using its own aircraft following receipt of Israeli government licences.

In 1997, CAL purchased the Liège Airport Cargo Handling Services (LACHS) cargo terminal in Belgium. The facility, which is still fully owned and operated by CAL, caters to CAL's specialty in nonstandard cargo. In 2010, CAL was purchased privately by Offer Gilboa and expanded its flight operations to include daily flights to and from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and New York's John F Kennedy International Airport.

In 2017, the airline made news headlines for buying a Boeing 747 on Chinese e-commerce website Taobao.com for around US$23.3 million.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Operations

File:4X-ICL B747-271C(SCD) Cargo Air Lines LHR 17AUG02 (8253598311).jpg at London Heathrow]]

File:Challenge Airlines 4X-ICA run 5C861(Israel Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport to Hong Kong International Airport) 02-02-2025.jpg]]

Challenge IL operates daily scheduled cargo flights and charter services carrying nonstandard goods and general cargo internationally. Its main base is Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and it has a hub at Liège Airport in Belgium. The airline carries approximately 100,000 tons of cargo annually, including all categories of nonstandard cargo: temperature-controlled pharmaceutical and healthcare products, live animals, dangerous goods, oversize and overweight cargo, fresh perishable products, and valuable goods such as fine art.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cal.co.il/about/?id=1 |title=CAL - Cargo Air lines - Company Profile |access-date=2008-03-06 |archive-date=2009-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220230444/http://www.cal.co.il/about/?id=1 |url-status=dead }} The company slogan is Challenge accepted.

Destinations

Challenge IL operates freight services to the following scheduled destinations (as of May 2024).

Country !City !Airport !Notes !class="unsortable"\|Refs
class="wikitable sortable"
Belgium	Liège	Liège Airport	{{Airline hub}}	align=center\|
China	Zhengzhou	Zhengzhou International Airport	align=center\|	align=center\|
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Hong Kong International Airport	align=center\|	align=center\|
Norway	Oslo	Oslo Gardermoen Airport	align=center\|	align=center\|
Israel	Tel Aviv	Ben Gurion Airport	{{Airline hub}}	align=center\|

Fleet

= Current fleet =

The Challenge Airlines IL fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2024):{{cite journal |title=Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One) |journal=Airliner World|volume=October 2019 |page=17}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airlines/5c-icl/fleet|title = Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map}}{{update inline|date=September 2022}}

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;text-align:center" \|+ Challenge Airlines IL fleet
Aircraft !In fleet !Orders !Notes
Boeing 747-400ERF \|1 \|0 \|4X-ICA
Boeing 747-400F \|1 \|0 \|4X-ICK
Boeing 767-300BDSF \|1 \|0 \|4X-IAJ
Total !3 !0 !

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;text-align:center"

|+ Challenge Airlines IL fleet

Aircraft

!In fleet

!Orders

!Notes

Boeing 747-400ERF

|4X-ICA

Boeing 747-400F

|4X-ICK

Boeing 767-300BDSF

|4X-IAJ

Total

= Retired fleet =

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;text-align:center" \|+ Challenge Airlines IL historic fleet
Aircraft !Total !Year introduced !Year retired !Replacement !Notes !Refs
Boeing 707 \|1 \|1986 \|1987 \|Boeing 747-200F \| \|{{Cite web \|url=http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-atx-707 \|title=מרקיע שחקים - בואינג 4X-Atx 707 \|access-date=2018-12-07 \|archive-date=2018-12-09 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209080238/http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-atx-707 \|url-status=dead }}
Boeing 747-100F \|1 \|1993 \|1993 \|None \|Leased from Atlas Air \|{{Citation needed\|date=February 2025}}
Boeing 747-200F \|4 \|1999 \|2017 \|Boeing 747-400F \|One aircraft was written off in a landing accident in Liège Airport. \|{{Cite web \|title=REPORT ON THE MISHAP OF THE AIRCRAFT BOEING B747-271C REGISTERED 4X-ICM AT LIEGE (BELGIUM) ON OCT 01, 2003. \|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/reports/2003/20031001_B742_4X-ICM.pdf \|access-date=5 February 2025 \|website=Flight Safety Foundation}}{{Cite web \|url=http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-icl-747 \|title=מרקיע שחקים - עודכן! בואינג 4X-Icl 747 \|access-date=2018-12-07 \|archive-date=2018-12-07 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207150013/http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-icl-747 \|url-status=dead }}{{Cite web \|url=http://www.sky-high.co.il/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-ico-747.html \|title=מרקיע שחקים - בואינג 4X-Ico 747 \|access-date=2018-12-07 \|archive-date=2018-12-07 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207145630/http://www.sky-high.co.il/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-ico-747.html \|url-status=dead }}
Boeing 747-400BCF \|1 \|2016 \|2019 \|None \|Transferred to Challenge Airlines BE. \|{{citation needed\|date=September 2022}}
Boeing 747-400ERF \|2 \|2019 \|2022 \|None \|Transferred to Challenge Airlines BE. \|{{citation needed\|date=September 2022}}

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;text-align:center"

|+ Challenge Airlines IL historic fleet

Aircraft

!Total

!Year introduced

!Year retired

!Replacement

!Notes

!Refs

Boeing 707

|1986

|1987

|Boeing 747-200F

|{{Cite web |url=http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-atx-707 |title=מרקיע שחקים - בואינג 4X-Atx 707 |access-date=2018-12-07 |archive-date=2018-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209080238/http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-atx-707 |url-status=dead }}

Boeing 747-100F

|1993

|None

|Leased from Atlas Air

|{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Boeing 747-200F

|1999

|2017

|Boeing 747-400F

|One aircraft was written off in a landing accident in Liège Airport.

|{{Cite web |title=REPORT ON THE MISHAP OF THE AIRCRAFT BOEING B747-271C REGISTERED 4X-ICM AT LIEGE (BELGIUM) ON OCT 01, 2003. |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/reports/2003/20031001_B742_4X-ICM.pdf |access-date=5 February 2025 |website=Flight Safety Foundation}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-icl-747 |title=מרקיע שחקים - עודכן! בואינג 4X-Icl 747 |access-date=2018-12-07 |archive-date=2018-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207150013/http://www.sky-high.co.il/134771/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-icl-747 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.sky-high.co.il/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-ico-747.html |title=מרקיע שחקים - בואינג 4X-Ico 747 |access-date=2018-12-07 |archive-date=2018-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207145630/http://www.sky-high.co.il/%D7%91%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92-4x-ico-747.html |url-status=dead }}

Boeing 747-400BCF

|2016

|2019

|None

|Transferred to Challenge Airlines BE.

|{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Boeing 747-400ERF

|2019

|2022

|None

|Transferred to Challenge Airlines BE.

|{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}