Ben Gurion International Airport

Ben Gurion International Airport נמל התעופה בן גוריון
IATA: TLV – ICAO: LLBG TLV Location of airport in Israel
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Israel Airports Authority
Serves		Greater Tel Aviv
Location		Airport City, Tel Aviv District, Israel
Hub for		El Al Arkia Airlines Israir Airlines
Elevation AMSL		41 m / 135 ft
Coordinates		32°00′41″N 34°53′12″E / 32.01139°N 34.88667°E / 32.01139; 34.88667
Website		www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/...
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
03/21	1,780	5,840	Asphalt
08/26	4,062	13,327	Asphalt
12/30 (closed)	3,112	10,210	Asphalt
Statistics (2010[1])
Total Passengers			12,160,339
International Passengers			11,485,509
Domestic Passengers			674,830
International Aircraft			86,229

Ben Gurion International Airport (Hebrew: נמל התעופה בן גוריון‎, Nemal HaTe'ūfa Ben Gurion, Arabic: مطار بن غوريون الدولي‎) (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag (Hebrew: נתב"ג‎), is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010.^[1] It is rated as the best airport in the Middle East, and the second-best worldwide for airports handling 5–15 million passengers annually by the Airports Council International organisation.^[2]

The airport is located near the city of Lod, 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv. It is one of two commercial aviation airports in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, the other being Sde Dov Airport—which is located in Tel Aviv proper and serves mainly domestic flights. Ben Gurion Airport is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in the State of Israel.

Ben Gurion International Airport serves as the home base of El Al, Israir Airlines, and Arkia Israel Airlines. Terminal 3 is used for most international flights, while Terminal 1 is used for all domestic flights.^[3] The airport has three runways and is used by commercial, private and military aircraft.

Ben Gurion International Airport is considered one of the world's most secure airports,^[4][5] with a security force that includes both police officers and IDF soldiers. Airport security guards operate both in uniform and undercover to maintain a high level of vigilance and detect any possible threats. The airport has been the target of several terrorist attacks, but no attempt to hijack a plane departing from Ben Gurion airport has succeeded.

History

Lydda Airport, 1950

The airport was initially known as "Wilhelma Airport" when it was built in 1936 in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine and later became known as RAF Station Lydda. It began as an airstrip of four concrete runways on the outskirts of the Arab town of Lydda. It was built during the British Mandate of Palestine chiefly for military purposes^[6] and was renamed RAF Lydda in 1943. The importance of the facility rose significantly during World War II when it served as a major airfield for military air transport and aircraft ferry operations between military bases in Europe, Africa, the Middle East (mainly Iraq and Persia) and South/Southeast Asia.

The first civilian transatlantic route, New York City to Tel Aviv, was inaugurated by TWA in 1946. The British gave up Lydda airport at the end of April 1948. Soldiers of the Israel Defence Force captured the airport on 10 July 1948, in Operation Danny, transferring control to the newly declared State of Israel. Flights resumed on 24 November 1948.^[7] That year, 40,000 passengers passed through the terminal. By 1952, the number had risen to 100,000 a month. Within a decade, air traffic increased to the point where local flights had to be redirected to the Sde Dov airfield (SDV) on the northern Tel Aviv coast. By the mid-1960s, 14 international airlines were landing at Lod Airport.

The airport was renamed Ben Gurion International Airport in 1973 to honour Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.

More buildings and runways were added over the years, but with the onset of mass immigration from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union in the 1980s and 90s, as well as the global increase of international business travel, the existing facilities became painfully inadequate, prompting the design of new state-of-the-art terminal that could also accommodate the expected tourism influx for the 2000 millennium celebrations. The decision to go ahead with project was reached in January 1994, but Terminal 3 only opened its doors a decade later, on 2 November 2004.^[8]

Terrorist incidents

While Ben Gurion Airport has been a target of Palestinian attacks, the adoption of strict security precautions has ensured that no aircraft departing from Ben Gurion airport has ever been hijacked. On the other hand, airliners hijacked from other countries have landed at Ben Gurion, contributing to two major incidents in the airport's history. In the first, on 8 May 1972, four Palestinian Black September terrorists hijacked a Sabena flight en-route from Vienna and forced it to land at Ben Gurion airport. Sayeret Matkal commandos led by Ehud Barak stormed the plane, killing two of the hijackers and capturing the other two. One passenger was killed.^[9] Later that month, on 30 May 1972, in an attack known as the Lod Airport Massacre, 24 people were killed and 80 injured when three members of the Japanese Red Army sprayed machine gun fire into the passenger arrival area. The victims included Aharon Katzir, a prominent protein biophysicist and brother of Israel's 4th president. Those injured included Efraim Katzir and a group of twenty Puerto Rican tourists who had just arrived in Israel.^[10] The only terrorist who survived was Kozo Okamoto, who received a life sentence but was set free in a prisoner exchange with the PFLP-GC.^[11]

Bust of David Ben Gurion at Ben Gurion International Airport, named in his honour

Passenger terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, now used almost exclusively for domestic flights

Prior to the opening of Terminal 3, Terminal 1 was the main terminal building at Ben Gurion Airport. At that time, the departures check-in area was located on the ground floor. From there, passengers proceeded upstairs to the main departures hall, which contained passport control, duty-free shops, VIP lounges, one synagogue and boarding gates. At the gates, travelers would be required to descend a flight of stairs to return to the ground floor where waiting shuttle-buses transported them to airplanes on the tarmac. The arrivals hall with passport control, luggage carousels, duty-free pick-up and customs was located at the south end of the building. The shuttle-buses transferred passengers and crews to and from the terminal to airplanes which were parked on the tarmac over 500 meters (1,640 ft) away. After Terminal 3 opened, Terminal 1 was closed except for domestic flights to the airport in Eilat and government flights such as special immigrant flights from North America and Africa. Chartered flights organised by Nefesh B'Nefesh carrying immigrants from North America and England use this terminal for their landing ceremonies several times a year.^[12]

Terminal 1 re-opened in 2007 as the domestic terminal following extensive renovations,^[13] and in July 2008, to cater for summer charter and low-cost flights.^[14] It remained open for these charter and low-cost flights for the 2008 summer season, with passengers checking-in and passing through security here, before being bussed to Terminal 3. The terminal closed temporarily in October 2008, when it underwent under further renovation and reopened again in Summer 2009, when it was expected to reach its three-month capacity of 600,000 passengers on international flights.^[14] As of 2010, several low-cost carriers' international flights were operating out of Terminal 1 year-round including Cimber Sterling flights to Copenhagen, Jet2.com flights to Manchester, Vueling flights to Barcelona and easyJet flights to London (Luton), Geneva, and Basel. All other international flights operate out of Terminal 3.

Although Terminal 1 was closed between 2003 and 2007, the building served as a venue for various events and large-scale exhibitions including the "Bezalel Academy of Arts Centennial Exhibition" which was held there in 2006. There is now talk of keeping Terminal 1 open 24 hours a day in order to handle charter flights from Europe.^[15] The renovations for the terminal were designed by Yosef Assa with three individual atmospheric themes. Firstly, the public halls have a Land-of-Israel character with walls painted in the colors of Israel's Judean, Jerusalem and Galilee mountains. The Departure Hall is given an atmosphere of vacation and leisure, whilst the Arrivals Hall is given a more urban theme as passengers return back to the city.^[16]

In February 2006, the Israel Airports Authority announced plans to invest 4.3 million NIS in a new VIP wing for private jet passengers and crews, as well as others interested in avoiding the main terminal. VIP ground services already exist, but a substantial increase in users has justified expanding the facilities, which will also boost airport revenues. The IAA released figures showing significant growth in private jet flights (4,059, a 36.5% increase from 2004) as well as private jet users (14,613, a 46.2% increase from 2004). The new VIP wing, operated by an outside licensee, will be located in an upgraded and expanded section of Terminal 1. All flight procedures (security check, passport control and customs) will be handled here. This wing will include a hall equipped for press conferences, a deluxe lounge, special meeting rooms equipped with state-of-the-art business facilities and a designated lounge for flight crews who spend time at the airport between flights.^[17] It was announced in January 2008, however, that the IAA planned to construct a new 1000sq metre VIP terminal next to Terminal 3.^[18]

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was inaugurated in 1969 when Arkia resumed operations at the airport after the six-day war.^[19] Terminal 2 served domestic flights until 20 February 2007 when these services moved into the refurbished Terminal 1. Due to increased traffic in the late 1990s and over-capacity reached at Terminal 1, an international section was added until Terminal 3 was opened. Terminal 2 was slated to be demolished to make room for more freight areas until July 2007, when it was decided that the terminal would be converted into a special terminal for low-cost airlines.

Terminal 3

Main Entrance to Terminal 3

Terminal 3, which opened on 28 October 2004,^[20] replaced Terminal 1 as the main international gateway to and from Israel. The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM).^[21][22] Moshe Safdie & Associates^[23] and TRA (now Black and Veatch)^[21] designed a linking structure and the airside departure areas and gates. Ram Karmi ^[21] and other Israeli architects were the local architects of record. The inaugural flight was an El Al flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

The new terminal was built to serve over 10 million passengers per year. It could accommodate 16 million passengers a year with the addition of two concourses to the existing three. One additional concourse is currently in the planning stages, along with an expansion of the landside terminal.^[24] Due to the proximity of the airport to the country's largest population centres and the problem of noise pollution, another international airport is being considered to be built elsewhere in the country.^[25]

Terminal 3

Concourse B of Terminal 3

Work on Natbag 2000, as the Terminal 3 project was known, was scheduled for completion prior to 2000 in order to handle a massive influx of pilgrims expected for the Millennium celebrations. This deadline was not met due to higher than anticipated costs and a series of work stoppages in the wake of the bankruptcy of the main Turkish contractor. The project eventually cost an estimated one billion US dollars.

Terminal 3 uses the Jetway system. The overall layout is similar to that of airports in Europe and North America, with multiple levels and considerable distances to walk after disembarking from the aircraft. The walk is assisted by escalators and moving walkways. The ground floor departures hall, with an area of over 10,000 square metres (107,639 sq ft), is equipped with 110 check-in counters and as well as Flight information display systems.^[26] A small shopping mall, known as Buy & Bye, is open to both travellers and the general public. The mall, which includes shops, restaurants and a post office, was planned to be a draw for non-flyers too. On the same level as the mall, passengers enter passport control and the security check. Planes taking off and landing can be viewed from a distinctive tilted glass wall. Car rental counters are located in an intermediate level situated between the departing and arriving passenger halls. Terminal 3 has two synagogues.^[27]

After the main security check, passengers wait for their flights in the star-shaped duty-free rotunda. A variety of cafes, restaurants and duty-free shops are located there, open 24 hours a day, as well as a synagogue, banking facilities, a transit hall for connecting passengers and a desk for VAT refunds.^[28]

Terminal 3 has a total of 30 gates divided among three concourses (B, C and D), each with 8 jetway-equipped gates (numbered 2 through 9) and 2 stand gates (bus bays, 1 and 1A) from which passengers are ferried to the aircraft. Almost all El Al flights utilize concourse D with other airlines using concourses B and C. Room exists for two additional concourses (A and E). Currently, the addition of concourse E is in the planning stages along with an expansion of the landside terminal.^[24] In March 2011, the government of Israel approved a budget of NIS 758 million (appx. US$215 million) for the construction of concourse E and its related facilities.^[29]

Free wireless internet is provided throughout the terminal.^[30][31] The terminal has three business lounges - the exclusive El Al King David Lounge for frequent flyers and two 'Dan' lounges for either privileged or paying flyers. In January 2007, the IAA announced plans for a 120-bed hotel at Terminal 3.^[32]

Terminal 4

This terminal, built in 1999, was meant to handle the crowds expected in 2000, but never officially opened. To date, it has only been used as a terminal for passengers arriving from Asia during the SARS epidemic.^[33] Another use for the terminal was for the memorial ceremonies upon the arrival of the casket of Col. Ilan Ramon after the Columbia disaster in February 2003 and the arrival of Elchanan Tenenbaum and the caskets of 3 Israeli soldiers from Lebanon in January 2004.

Administrative buildings

The head office of El Al is located at Ben Gurion Airport,^[34] as is the head office of the Israel Airports Authority.^[35] In addition, Israel Aerospace Industries also maintains its head office on airport grounds as well as extensive aviation construction and repair facilities.

Runways

Airport Chart

Main runway

The closest runway to terminals 1 and 3 is 12/30, 3,112 meters (10,210 feet) in length, and is followed by a taxiway. Most landings take place on this runway from West to East, approaching from the Mediterranean Sea over southern Tel Aviv.^[36] During inclement weather, it may also be used for takeoffs (Direction 12). A 17 million NIS renovation project was completed in November 2007 which reinforced the runway and made it suitable for future wide-body aircraft such as the new Airbus A380. In September 2008, a new ILS serving the runway was activated.

Short runway

In the past, the short runway, (direction 03/21), 1,780 meters (5,840 feet) in length, mainly served cargo aircraft of the Israeli Air Force. Today it functions mostly as a taxiway for the quiet runway. Rarely, it is used for landing from north to south (Direction 21).^[37] By the middle of the decade however, the IAF facilities adjacent to the short runway are slated to be relocated to Nevatim and the runway will be lengthened to over 9,100 feet (2,800 m), equipped with an ILS, and placed into full commercial usage.

Quiet runway

The longest runway at the airfield, 4,062 meters (13,327 feet), and the main take off runway from east to west (Direction 08/26), referred to as "the quiet runway" since jets taking off in this direction produce less noise pollution for surrounding residents. This is the newest runway in the airport, built in the early 1970s. A 24 million NIS renovation project completed in February 2006 reinforced the runway and made it suitable for future wide-body aircraft such as the new Airbus A380.^[38]

Future runway configuration

The fact that the main runway and the quiet runway intersect near their western ends often creates a crisscross pattern between aircraft landing and taking off. This pattern reduces the amount of air traffic which can circulate in and out of the airport and has detrimental safety implications as well. To alleviate these issues, extensive works began in 2010 to construct new taxiways and lengthen the short and quiet runways. When all phases of construction are completed, runway 03/21 will become the main landing runway (usually heading from north to south), instead of runway 12/30 which will then be used on a secondary basis only. Most take offs will continue to take place from the quiet runway heading west. This configuration will enable a new approach pattern to and from the field, allowing simultaneous takeoffs and landings at most times of the day and more than double the number of aircraft movements which can be handled at peak times while increasing the level of air safety in and around the airport.^[24] The construction of several new taxiways between the existing runways and Terminal 3 will also significantly reduce taxi times at the airport. The project will cost nearly 1 billion NIS and is scheduled to be completed by early 2014.

Security procedures

Roman Abramovich's plane landing at Ben Gurion

Duty-free shopping rotunda

Luggage carousel at BG airport

Ben Gurion International Airport is one of the world's most secured airports.^[39] Security operates on several levels.^[40]

All cars, taxis, buses and trucks go through a preliminary security checkpoint before entering the airport compound. Armed guards spot-check the vehicles by looking into cars, taxis and boarding buses, exchanging a few words with the driver and passengers. Armed security personnel stationed at the terminal entrances keep a close watch on those who enter the buildings. If someone arouses their suspicion or looks nervous, they may strike up a conversation to further assess the person's intent. Plainclothes armed personnel patrol the area outside the building, and hidden surveillance cameras operate at all times.^[41] Inside the building, both uniformed and plainclothes security officers are on constant patrol. Departing passengers are personally questioned by security agents even before arriving at the check-in desk. This interview can last as little as a minute, or as long as an hour if a passenger is selected for additional screening. Luggage and body searches may be conducted. After the search, bags are placed through an X-ray machine before passengers proceed to the check-in counters. Occasionally, if security have assessed a person as a low risk, they will pass them straight through to the check-in desks, bypassing the main x-ray machines.

Until August 2007 there was a system of color codes on checked luggage but the practice was discontinued after complaints of discrimination.^[42]

Baggage screening

The IAA is planning a major upgrade of checked baggage screening process in late 2011 whereby the screening of checked baggage will be performed "behind the scenes" after passenger baggage has been checked in (as is the practice in most airports). To that end, the IAA selected French company Safran to supply the most advanced x-ray/CT scanning machines currently available. The fully automatic system, together with an upgrade of the baggage handling system will cost NIS 375 million (appx. US$105 million) and will be fully installed by 2014.^[29] The current pre-check in baggage screening processes is at times a source of complaints from travelers, particularly foreigners and minorities who are often subjected to more stringent screenings; the envisioned process aims to make the check-in process quicker and more passenger-friendly as well as more secure since 100% of checked baggage will undergo screening, including baggage from passengers deemed to be low-risk who are currently sometimes allowed to proceed to check in without having their baggage x-rayed.

After check-in, checked baggage is put in a pressure chamber to trigger any possible explosive devices. Passengers continue through to personal security and passport control, as in other airports. Before passing through the metal detectors and placing carry-on baggage through the X-ray machine at the security checkpoint, passports and boarding passes are re-inspected and additional questions may be asked. Before boarding the aircraft, passports and boarding passes are verified once again. Security procedures for incoming flights are not as stringent, but passengers may be questioned by passport control depending on country of origin, or countries visited prior to arrival in Israel. Passengers who have recently visited countries at war with Israel (all Arab countries except Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania and Qatar) may be subject to further questioning.^[43]

Passenger rankings

In December 2006, Ben Gurion International Airport ranked first among 40 European airports and 8th out of 77 airports in the world, in a survey, conducted by Airports Council International, to determine the most customer-friendly airport. Tel Aviv placed second in the grouping of airports which carry between 5 and 15 million passengers per year behind Japan's Nagoya Airport. The survey consisted of 34 questions. A random sampling of 350 passengers at the departure gate were asked how satisfied they were with the service, infrastructure and facilities. Ben Gurion received a rating of 3.94 out of 5, followed by Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Copenhagen and Helsinki. The airport retained its title as the best Middle Eastern airport in the 2007 and 2008 surveys.^[44][45]

Traffic volume

Usage statistics (commercial operations)^[1]

Year	Total passengers	Total operations
1999	8,916,436
2000	9,879,470	80,187
2001	8,349,657	69,226
2002	7,308,977	63,206
2003	7,392,026	61,202
2004	8,051,895	66,638
2005	8,917,421	70,139
2006	9,221,558	76,735
2007	10,526,562	84,568
2008	11,550,433	94,644
2009	10,925,970	89,442
2010	12,160,339	95,171
2011 (Jan-Oct only)[46]	10,600,000	?

The airport's busiest year so far was 2010: 12,160,339 passengers passed through the airport (an increase of almost 10% over the previous year) on over 95,000 commercial operations. In 2006, the largest airlines on international routes were: El Al (40.6% of flights), Lufthansa (4.16%), Continental Airlines (3.96%), Israir (3.85%) and Arkia (3.83%).^[47]

A steep rise in the number of domestic passengers using the airport is expected someday in the future in the wake of plans to close down Sde Dov Airport (which currently handles more domestic passengers annually than TLV) and build luxury towers on the Sde Dov property. All commercial flights will be rerouted to Ben Gurion.^[48]

Access

Platform 1 of the airport train station at Terminal 3

The airport is located near Highway 1, the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway and Highway 40. The airport is accessible by car or public bus. Israel Railways operates train service from the airport to several parts of the country and taxi stands are located outside the arrivals building. A popular transportation option is a share taxi van, known in Hebrew as a "monit sherut", going to Beer Sheva, Haifa and Jerusalem.

Rail

Main article: Ben Gurion Airport Railway Station

Israel Railways operates the Ben Gurion Airport Railway Station, located in the lower level of Terminal 3. From this station passengers may head north-west to Tel Aviv, Haifa and other destinations in the north, or south-east to Modi'in.^[49] The journey to Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station takes about 18 minutes. Almost 3.3 million passengers used the railway line to and from the airport in 2009. The line to Modi'in is part of a new rail line under construction from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which is scheduled for completion in 2016. The service does not operate on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The line to Nahariya through Tel Aviv and Haifa runs 24 hours a day.

Bus or taxi

The airport is served by regular inter-city bus lines, limousine and private shuttle services, Sherut "shared" door to door taxi vans and standard taxis.^[50] An Egged #5 shuttle bus ferries passengers between the terminals and a small bus terminal in the nearby Airport City industrial/office park where they can connect to regular Egged bus routes passing through the area. Passengers connecting at Airport City can pay for both rides on the same ticket, not having to pay an extra fare for bus #5. Other bus companies directly serve Terminal 3, and the airport also provides a free shuttle bus between terminals.^[51]

Car

Located on Highway 1, the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, the airport has a total of 11,300 parking spaces for short and long-term parking. The spaces for long-term parking are situated several kilometres from the terminal, and are reached by a free shuttle bus.^[52] Car rental at the airport is available from Avis, Budget, Eldan, Hertz and Sixt.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal/ Concourse
Adria Airways	Seasonal Charter: Ljubljana[53]	3
Aegean Airlines	Athens Seasonal Charter: Chania, Corfu, Heraklion, Kos, Rhodes, Thessalonki	3
Aeroflot	Moscow-Sheremetyevo	3
Aerosvit Airlines	Dniprpetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev-Boryspil, Odessa, Simferopol	3
Air Baltic	Riga	3
Air Berlin	Berlin-Tegel [ends 2 June 2012], Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012], Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Munich	3
Air Canada	Toronto-Pearson[54]	3
Air Europa	Barcelona	3
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	3
Air Malta	Malta[55]	3
Air Méditerranée	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	3
Alitalia	Rome-Fiumicino	3
Arkia Israel Airlines	Amman-Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Kiev-Boryspil, Moscow-Domodedovo, Larnaca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rhodes, Rome-Fiumicino[56] Seasonal: Berlin-Schonefeld, Copenhagen, Corfu, Dublin, Heraklion, Kos, Mykonos, Munich, Paphos, Rijeka, Santorini, Stockholm-Arlanda, Tbilisi, Verona, Warsaw[57]	3
Arkia Israel Airlines	Eilat, Ovda	1
Armavia	Yerevan	3
Austrian Airlines	Vienna	3
Azerbaijan Airlines	Baku[58]	3
Belavia	Minsk	3
BH Air	Seasonal: Burgas[59]	3
British Airways	London-Heathrow	3
Brussels Airlines	Brussels[60]	3
Bulgaria Air	Sofia Seasonal Charter: Burgas, Varna	3
Bulgarian Air Charter	Seasonal Charter: Burgas, Varna	3
Cimber Sterling	Copenhagen	1
Continental Airlines	Newark	3
Croatia Airlines	Seasonal Charter: Dubrovnik, Zagreb[61]	3
Cyprus Airways	Larnaca	3
Czech Airlines	Prague[62][unreliable source?]	3
Delta Air Lines	New York-JFK	3
Donavia	Rostov-on-Don, Sochi	3
EasyJet	London-Luton	1
EasyJet Switzerland	Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva	1
Egypt Air operated by Air Sinai	Cairo	3
El Al	Amsterdam, Athens, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Beijing-Capital, Berlin-Schönefeld [ends 1 June 2012], Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012], Brussels, Bucharest-Otopeni, Budapest, Cairo, Dniprpetrovsk [ends 8 December], Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kiev-Boryspil, London-Heathrow, London-Luton, Los Angeles, Madrid, Marseille, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, New York-JFK, Newark, Odessa [ends 6 December], Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome-Fiumicino, Saint Petersburg, Sofia, Toronto-Pearson, Vienna, Warsaw, Zürich[63]	3
El Al	Eilat	1
Enter Air	Seasonal: Katowice, Warsaw[64]	3
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa	3
Fly Hellas	Seasonal Charter: Heraklion, Rhodes, Thessaloniki	3
Georgian Airways	Tbilisi Seasonal: Batumi[65]	3
Germanwings	Cologne/Bonn	3
Iberia	Madrid	3
Israir Airlines	Berlin-Schönefeld [ends June 2012], Berlin-Brandenburg [begins June 2012], Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Rome-Fiumicino Seasonal: Amsterdam, Basel/Mulhouse, Burgas, Dubrovnik, Heraklion, London-Luton, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, Nice, Rhodes, Verona [66]	3
Israir Airlines	Eilat [66]	1
Jat Airways	Belgrade, Larnaca	3
Jet2	Manchester	1
Jetairfly	Liege	3
Kavminvodyavia	Mineralnye Vody	3
KLM	Amsterdam	3
Korean Air	Seoul-Incheon	3
Kuban Airlines	Krasnodar	3
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw	3
Lufthansa	Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012], Frankfurt, Munich	3
Malev Hungarian Airlines	Budapest	3
Meridiana Fly	Milan-Malpensa Seasonal: Bergamo	3
Neos	Seasonal Charter: Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino, Verona	3
Niki	Vienna [begins 20 Febuary]	3
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Stockholm-Arlanda	1
Orenair	Orenburg	3
Primera Air	Seasonal Charter: Stockholm-Arlanda	3
Rossiya	St Petersburg	3
Royal Jordanian	Amman-Queen Alia	3
Smart Wings	Prague	3
Spanair	Barcelona	3
Sun d'Or operated by El Al	Barcelona, Bratislava, Minsk, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumcino, Verona Seasonal: Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Heraklion, Geneva, Grenoble, Katowice, Kos, Lisbon, Lodz, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, Naples, Rhodes, Santorini, Turin, Venice-Marco Polo, Vilnius, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Zagreb	3
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich	3
Tatarstan Airlines	Kazan	3
TAROM	Bucharest-Otopeni	3
Transaero	Moscow-Domodedovo	3
Travel Service	Seasonal Charter: Budapest, Prague	3
Travel Service operated by Smart Wings	Seasonal: Bratislava	3
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk	3
Ukraine International Airlines	Kiev-Boryspil	3
Ural Airlines	Yekaterinburg	3
US Airways	Philadelphia	3
UTair Aviation	Samara, Ufa	3
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent	3
Vueling Airlines	Seasonal: Barcelona	1

Cargo airlines

Airlines	Destinations
CAL Cargo Air Lines	Amsterdam, Larnaca, Liège
DHL	Milan-Orio al Serio
El Al Cargo	Liège, New York-JFK
FedEx Express	Munich
Korean Air Cargo	Frankfurt, Seoul-Incheon, Navoiy, Vienna
Royal Jordanian Cargo	Amman-Queen Alia
Swiss WorldCargo	Zürich
Turkish Airlines Cargo	Istanbul-Atatürk
UPS Airlines[67]

Use in film

The airport was one point of interest in the 1986 Menahem Golan film, The Delta Force starring Chuck Norris and the late Lee Marvin. The scenes of the airport are the terrorists surrendering the women and children hostages and when they greet their families before the movie ends. The Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport and Athens International Airport scenes were also filmed here. However the interior of the Athens International Airport terminal was shot here and the exterior was shot in the defunct Ellinikon International Airport.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} IAA: Official airport statistics for Ben Gurion Airport
2. ^ "Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion named top Middle East airport". Globes. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=1000432940&fid=1725. Retrieved 10 March 2009. 
3. ^ Educational.co.il (Hebrew)
4. ^ "What Israeli security could teach us". The Boston Globe. 23 August 2006. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/08/23/what_israeli_security_could_teach_us/. Retrieved 10 August 2007. "The safest airport is Ben Gurion International, in Tel Aviv. No EL AL plane has been attacked by terrorists in more than three decades and no flight leaving Ben Gurion has ever been hijacked." 
5. ^ "Ben-Gurion International Airport". Britannica Knowledge Systems Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.. http://www.britannica-ks.com/Successful/International.asp. Retrieved 10 August 2007. "Today, Ben-Gurion is one of the most secure airports in the world" 
6. ^ "Ben Gurion Airoprt- The 30's". Israel Airports Authority. http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/BenGurion/AbouttheAirport/History/30/. Retrieved 27 April 2007. 
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External links

• Ben Gurion International Airport, iaa.gov.il
• Israeli Aviation Charts for flight simulation (including Ben Gurion), vatil.or