- Ben Ya'akov Airport
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Ben Ya'akov Airport Ben Ya'akov Airport IATA: RPN – ICAO: LLIB Location of airport in Israel Summary Airport type Rosh Pina Operator 922 Location 281 Coordinates 32°58′51.77″N 35°34′18.87″E / 32.9810472°N 35.5719083°E Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 3,190 972 Asphalt 15/33 3,655 1,114 Asphalt Ben Ya'akov Airport (IATA: RPN, ICAO: LLIB), officially known as Rosh Pina Airport and sometimes called Mahanayim Airfield due to its proximity to Mahanayim, is an Israeli airport located in Rosh Pina. It handles domestic flights to Tel Aviv's Sde Dov Airport and occasionally serves the Israeli Air Force.
Contents
History
The airport was built in 1943 during the British Mandate for Palestine. Mahanayim served the British army against Vichy France in Syria. In 1948 the airport was taken over by the IAF. In the 1950s, Arkia Israel Airlines began service to the airport, working from a hut which served as a passenger terminal and air traffic control tower. By 1968, a new terminal building had been constructed and three years later, in 1971, a fire station and control tower were erected. Following increased activity, the passenger terminal was further expanded in 1994.
Accidents
- On 19 April 1974 two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters collided over the airport. One of the helicopters managed to land safely while the other helicopter crashed and caught fire. All eight IDF soldiers on board died.
- On 4 February 1997 two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters took off from the airport on their way towards the Israeli Security Zone in southern Lebanon. The helicopters collided over She'ar Yashuv in northern Israel and crashed, killing all 73 IDF soldiers on board (see 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster).
Airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations Ayit Aviation and Tourism Tel Aviv-Sde Dov Statistics
Since the beginning of the century the airport has seen a decreasing number of passengers (though this trend has stabilized since 2006). The drop off in passenger volume has been attributed to major upgrades undertaken on the road infrastructure to the northern periphery of Israel since the early 2000s, leading to a viable alternative to air service to the region.
Year Total Domestic Passengers Total Domestic Operations 1999 168,915 21,647 2000 123,595 18,137 2001 127,123 19,593 2002 108,016 17,926 2003 80,277 15,706 2004 54,764 14,995 2005 45,306 13,149 2006 16,110 11,592 2007 16,790 11,017 2008 19,766 9,703 2009 19,050 7,614 2010 23,067 10,275 External links
Airports Border Terminals Egypt: Nitzana · Taba
Gaza Strip: Karni · Kerem Shalom
Jordan: Allenby Bridge · Arava · Jordan RiverDefunct/Former Properties Israeli airports Italics indicate airports located in the Israeli-occupied territories.International Domestic Bar Yehuda · Be'er Sheva · Eilat · Ein Yahav · Fik · Haifa · Herzliya · Megiddo · Mitzpe Ramon · Rosh Pina Ben Ya'akov · Sde Dov · Yotvata
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