Operation Solomon

Operation Solomon (Hebrew: מבצע שלמה, Mivtza Shlomo) was a covert Israeli military operation from May 24 to 25, 1991, to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Non-stop flights of 35 Israeli aircraft, including Israeli Air Force C-130s and El Al Boeing 747s, transported 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 36 hours. One of the aircraft, an El Al 747, carried at least 1,088 people, including two babies who were born on the flight, and holds the world record for the most passengers on an aircraft. Eight children were born during the airlift process. Operation Solomon was Israel’s third Aliyah mission to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Two prior, similar missions, Operation Moses and Operation Joshua, were forced to cease after Ethiopia and Sudan pulled their quiet permission. In the interim period between the end of Operations Moses/Joshua and the start of Operation Solomon, only a minute number of Ethiopian Jews were able to leave Africa and emigrate to Israel.