Militaryגונן אוסישקין

Gonen Ussishkin

Gonen Ussishkin is an Israeli fighter pilot and executive who was CEO of El Al from 2018 to 2021 and is CEO of Air Haifa.

born 1967CEO of El AlFounding Air HaifaF-16 fighter pilot

Born: 19 August 1967, Soviet Union
Occupation: fighter pilot, chief executive officer
Education: Tel Aviv University

Gonen Ussishkin was born in 1967 in Soviet Union

Ussishkin was born in the Soviet Union on August 19, 1967, and moved to Israel as a child. His mother, Irina Ussoskin, developed a healing method known as the Ira method. He was married for 18 years to the writer Michal Shalev.

He served as an F-16 fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and management and an MBA, both from Tel Aviv University.

After the army he was a manager at Hermon Laboratories. He joined El Al in 2004, flew Boeing 747-400 aircraft, and then held management roles, mostly in the commercial division. He became head of strategy in 2014 and vice president of commerce and aviation relations in 2017, helping lead the purchase of Dreamliner aircraft.

He became CEO of El Al in February 2018, announced his departure in October 2020, and left in January 2021. In 2023 he founded the airline Air Haifa with Nir Tzuk and partners, and he serves as its CEO.