El Al Israel Airlines has been operating in crisis mode since the start of Israel's conflict with Hamas militants last month, the company said on Thursday as it reported a drop in third-quarter profit owing to a one-off gain a year earlier.

One of the only airlines flying to and from Tel Aviv after most foreign carriers halted service because of the conflict, El Al said it has been the aviation bridge from Israel to the world.

"These days we have a deep national responsibility towards the people and the country," said CEO Dina Ben-Tal Ganancia. "We quickly adapted ourselves to emergency mode and made sure to maintain a stable and active flight schedule while taking care of passengers' safety and security."

The Israeli flag carrier said it made a number of changes since the war started, including route adjustments such as an increase in flights to Asia and suspension of flights to some destinations and postponement of new routes.

It noted that consumer behavior has changed, with more customers making last-minute bookings rather than advance reservations months ahead. El Al has also boosted cargo flights to transport essential equipment to Israel.

The airline reported earnings of $52 million for the three months to Sept. 30. That compared with $67 million a year earlier, boosted by a $38 million one-off gain from the partial sale of its frequent-flier program.

Revenue grew 11% to $696 million, higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, and the percentage of seats occupied edged up to 88.1% from 87.5%.

During the quarter El Al took delivery of its 16th Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, bolstering its 47-strong fleet.