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Ben Gurion Airport
Airport Directory » Israel » Tel Aviv » Ben Gurion AirportBen Gurion International Airport (Hebrew: נמל התעופה בן גוריון, Namal HaTe'ūfa Ben Gūryōn, (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag (Hebrew: נתב"ג), is the biggest and busiest international airport in Israel, with over 11.5 million riders passing through it in 2008. It was named the most good airport in the Middle East by the ACI organization. It was ab initio known as Wilhelma Airport when it was 1st built in 1936 in Palestine. After the State of Israel came into being on 14 May 1948, the airport's name was modified from Lydda to Lod. The airport has been known as Ben Gurion International Airport since 1973 to honor Israel's 1st chancellor David Ben-Gurion.
The airport is turn up near the town of Lod, 15 kilometre (9 mi) southeastward of Tel Aviv. It is functioned by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned company that bring off all public airports and boundary line crossings in the State of Israel.
Ben Gurion Int'l Airport assists as the home office of El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia Israel Airlines, and Sun d'Or International Airlines. Today, Terminal three is used for most international voyages, while Terminal one is used for all domestic voyages as good as Jet2.com voyage to Manchester Airport. The airport has 3 landing track and is used by commercial, private, and armed forces aircraft.
The airport is turn up near Highway 1, the briny Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway, and Highway 40. The airport is accessible by auto or public passenger vehicle. Israel Railways functions railroad train service to and from the airport to sure divisions of the state, and cab stand up are turn up outside the arrivals construction. Another transit option is the shared cab vanguard, known in Hebrew as a sherut, going to Beer Sheva, Haifa and Jerusalem.
Ben Gurion Int'l Airport is see 1 of the world's most procure airports, with a private security force that includes both police officer and IDF soldiers. Airport security guards function both in uniform and undercover to back up a high stage of watchfulness and discover anybody possible menaces. The airport has been the target area of several terrorist assails, but no try to pirate a airplane going away from Ben Gurion airport has bring home the bacon. In 2008 the FAA described "various security defects" at Ben Gurion International Airport..
History
Ben Gurion International Airport set about in 1936 as Lydda Airport, an landing strip of 4 concrete landing track on the outskirts of the Arab city of Lydda. It was made during the British Mandate of Palestine principally for armed forces intentions, and was renamed RAF Lydda in 1943. The importance of the installation arose significantly during World War II when it assisted as a major ground for armed forces air transport and aircraft ferry functioning between army bases in Europe, Africa, the Middle East (principally Iraq and Persia) and South/Southeast Asia.
The 1st civilian transatlantic path, New York City to Tel Aviv, was kick off by TWA in 1946. Britain waived Lydda airport at the finish of April 1948. Soldiers of the Israel Defence Force captured the airport on July 10, 1948, in Operation Danny, reassigning command to the new declared State of Israel. Flights restarted on November 24, 1948. That yr, 40,000 riders passed through the depot. By 1952, the figure had come up to 100,000 a calendar month. Within a decennium, air traffic increased to the point where local voyages had to be airted to the Sde Dov field (SDV) on the northern Tel Aviv seashore. By the mid-1960s, 14 international air hose were districting at Lod Airport.
More constructions and landing track were added over the yr, but with the oncoming of mass in-migration from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union in the 1980s and 90s, as good as the global increase of international business locomote, the being installations got distressingly unequal, propelling the project of new state-of-the art depot that is able to also adapt the anticipated touristry inflow for the 2000 millenary jubilations. The determination to plow ahead with labor was hit in January 1994, but Terminal three only opened its doors a decennium after, on November 2, 2004.
Operation of the old depot
Initially, the going check-in area was turn up on the ground level. Passengers would continue up the stairs on to the independent going hallway, which incorporated recommendation command, duty free stores, VIP lounges, 1 temple and boarding entrances. At the entrances, travellers shall be claimed to go down a voyage of steps to return to the ground level where the waiting shuttle-buses would transport them to their plane on the macadamise. The reaches hallway with recommendation command, luggage carrousel, duty free pick-up, and usages was on the southward finish of the construction. The shuttle-buses reassigned riders and crews to the depot from the planes that parked on the macadamise over 500 metres (1,640 foot) forth. After Terminal three opened, Terminal one was closed except for domestic voyages to the airport in Eilat, and authority voyages such as special immigrant voyages from North America and Africa. Chartered voyages formed by Nefesh B'Nefesh transporting immigrants from North America and England use this depot for their districting observances several clips a yr.
Terrorist incidents
While Ben Gurion Airport has been a target area of Palestinian insurgent grouping, the acceptance of nonindulgent security guards has guaranteed that no aircraft going away from Ben Gurion airport has of all time been commandeered. On the other mitt, airliners commandeered from other lands have district at Ben Gurion, bringing to 2 major incidents in the airport's history. In the 1st, on May 8, 1972, four Palestinian Black September terrorists commandeered a Sabena voyage en-route from Vienna, and pressured it to bring down at Ben Gurion airport. Sayeret Matkal rangers guided by Ehud Barak raged the aeroplane, assassination 2 of the road agent and capturing the other 2. One rider was assassination. Later that calendar month, on May 30, 1972, in an assail known as the Lod Airport Massacre, 24 individuals were assassination and 80 wound when 3 fellow member of the Japanese Red Army sprayed machine gun fire into the rider reaching area . The victims included Aharon Katzir, a prominent protein biophysicist and blood brother of Israel's fourth president, Efraim Katzir, and a group of 20 Puerto Rican holidaymakers who had merely get in Israel. The only terrorist who hold out was Kozo Okamoto, who had a life time but was liberate in a captive exchange with the PFLP-GC.
The airport as of 2009
| Year | Total riders | Total functioning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
2008 was the busiest yr of all time at Ben Gurion, with over 11.5 million riders passing through the airport (an increase of approximately 10% over the previous yr) on about 95,000 commercial functioning. In 2006, the biggest air hose on international paths were: El Al (40.6% of voyages), Lufthansa (4.16%), Continental Airlines (3.96%), Israir (3.85%) and Arkia (3.83%). A steep come up in the figure of domestic riders using the airport is anticipated in the wake of programmes to shut down Sde Dov Airport (which now deals substantially more domestic riders each year than TLV) and construct luxury towers on the Sde Dov belonging. All commercial voyages shall be rerouted to Ben Gurion.
In December 2006, Ben Gurion International Airport ranked 1st amongst 40 European airports, and eighth out of 77 airports in the world, in a appraise, dealt by Airports Council International, to find out the most customer-friendly airport. Tel Aviv location 2nd in the grouping of airports which transport between five and 15 million riders per yr behind Japan's Nagoya Airport. The appraise dwell of 34 interrogations. A random sampling of 350 riders at the departure entrance were inquired how live up to they were with the service, base and installations. Ben Gurion had a value of 3.94 out of 5, come after by Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Copenhagen and Helsinki. The airport retained its statute title as the most good Middle Eastern airport in the 2007 and 2008 appraises.
Terminals
Terminal one
Terminal one re-opened in 2007 as the domestic depot coming after extensive redevelopments, and in July 2008, to provide for summertime charter and low-cost voyages. It stay open for these charter and low-cost voyages for the 2008 summertime season, with riders checking-in and passing through security here, before being kissed to Terminal 3. The depot closed temporarily in October 2008, where it is now under further redevelopment. It shall be opened once again in Summer 2009, when it is anticipated to hit its three-month capacity of 600,000 riders on international voyages.
Although Terminal one was closed between 2003 and 2007, the construction assisted as a locale for various events and large-scale exhibitions including the "Bezalel Academy of Arts Centennial Exhibition" which was maintained there in 2006. There is currently talk of holding Terminal one open 24 60 minutes a solar day in say to deal charter voyages from Europe. The redevelopments for the depot were projected by Yosef Assa with 3 single atmospherical topics. Firstly, the public hallways have a Land-of-Israel fictitious character with walls painted in the colours of Israel's Judean, Jerusalem and Galilee mountains. The Departure Hall is given an ambience of holiday and leisure time, whilst the Arrivals Hall is given a more urban topic as riders return dorsum to the town.
In February 2006, the Israel Airports Authority denoted programmes to put 4.3 million NIS in a new VIP wing for private jet plane riders and crews, as good as others interested in avoiding the independent depot. VIP solid ground services already be, but a real increase in users has warranted spreading out the installations, which will also encouragement airport gross. The IAA let go of figs demoing eminent development in private jet plane voyages (4,059, a 36.5% increase from 2004) as good as private jet plane users (14,613, a 46.2% increase from 2004). The new VIP wing, functioned by an outside licensee, shall be turn up in an upgraded and spread out subdivision of Terminal 1. All voyage processes (security check out, recommendation command, and usages) shall be dealt here. This wing will include a hallway fit for news conference, a deluxe lounge, special running across appartment fit out with state-of-the-art business installations, and a denominated lounge for voyage crews who pass clip at the airport between voyages. It was denoted in January 2008, nevertheless, that the IAA be after to build a new 1000sq meter VIP depot next to Terminal 3.
Terminal two
Terminal two was kick off in 1969 when Arkia restarted functioning at the airport after the six-day conflict. Terminal two assisted domestic voyages until 20 February 2007 when these services moved into the refurbished Terminal 1. Due to increased traffic in the late 1990s and over-capacity hit at Terminal 1, an international subdivision was added until Terminal three was opened. Terminal two was slated to be pulverised to do appartment for more cargo area until July 2007, when it was make up one's mind that the depot shall be changed over into a special depot for low-cost air hose.
Terminal three
Terminal 3, which opened on October 28, 2004, replaced Terminal one as the independent international gateway to and from Israel. The construction was projected by Black and Veatch, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), and Moshe Safdie, alongside with Ram Karmi and other Israeli designers. The inaugural voyage was an El Al voyage to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
The new depot is now made to assist over 10 million riders per yr, although it is able to adapt 16 million riders a yr with the addition of 2 concourses to the being 3. No future enlargement is anticipated beyond this due to the law of proximity of the airport to the land's biggest population centres and the job of sound pollution. If necessary, another international airport is planned to be made elsewhere in the commonwealth.
Work on Natbag 2000, as the Terminal three labor was known, was scheduled for pass completion prior to 2000 in say to manage a massive inflow of pilgrims anticipated for the Millennium jubilations. This deadline was not run across due to higher than expected costs and a series of strike in the wake of the failure of the independent Turkish contractor. The labor finally cost an estimated 1 billion US dollars.
Terminal three uses the Jetway system. The aggregative layout is similar to that of airports in Europe and North America, with multiple stages, and considerable distances to walk after setting down from the aircraft. The walk is attended to by moving staircase and travel paseos. The ground level going hallway, with an area of over 10,000 foursquare metres (107,639 sq foot), is fit out with 110 check-in counters and as good as Flight info expose systems. A little centering, known as Buy & Bye, is open to both travellers and the general public. The shopping mall, which includes stores, eating house, and a local post office, was planned to be a force for non-flyers to a fault. On the same stage as the shopping mall, riders move into recommendation command and the security check out. Planes start out and districting is able to be see from a distinctive lean glass wall. Car renting counters are turn up in an intermediate stage located between the going away and getting rider hallways. Terminal three has 2 temples.
After the independent security check out, riders wait for their voyages in the star-shaped duty free rotunda. A assortment of coffee bar, eating house and duty free stores are turn up there, open 24 60 minutes a solar day, as good as banking installations and a desk for VAT refunds.
Terminal three has 3 concourses (B, C, and D), each guiding to 8 jetways (amounted two through nine). Each concourse is fit out with 2 jitney embayments (one and 1A) from which riders board the aircraft. Two additional concourses (A and E) shall be constructed if rider traffic justifies enlargement. Free wireless cyberspace is supplied throughout the depot. The depot has 3 business lounges - the exclusive El Al King David Lounge for frequent circulars and 2 'Dan' lounges for either privileged or paying circulars. In January 2007, the IAA denoted programmes for a 120-bed hotel at Terminal 3.
In 26 April 2009, the Israel Airports Authority denoted that the Passengers belonging to the Haredi world will shortly be able to savor a glatt kosher repast at Ben-Gurion Airport's going depot while waiting for their voyage.
Terminal four
This depot, built in 1999, was averaged to manage the crowds anticipated in 2000, but ne'er officially opened. To date, it has only been used as a depot for riders getting from Asia during the SARS epidemic. Another use for the depot was for the memorial observances upon the reaching of the jewel casket of Col. Ilan Ramon after the Columbia catastrophe in February 2003 and the reaching of Elchanan Tenenbaum and the jewel casket of three Israeli soldiers from Lebanon in January 2004.
Security
Ben Gurion International Airport is 1 of the world's most to a great extent procured airports. Security functions on several stages.
- All auto, cab, coaches and motortrucks go through a preliminary security checkpoint before moving into the airport deepen. Armed guards spot-check the vehicles by looking into auto and cab, boarding jitneys, and changing a few words with the driver and riders.
- Armed security force posted at the depot gates hold a close watch on those who move into the constructions. If somebody raises their intuition or looks neural, they may sound off a conversation to further evaluate the mortal's intention. Plainclothes armed force patrol the area outside the construction, and concealed surveillance photographic camera function at all clips.
- Inside the construction, both unvarying and plainclothes security military officers are on constant patrol.
- Departing riders are personally call into question by security agents even before arriving at the check-in desk. This question is able to endure as small as 5 min., or as long as an 60 minute if a rider is take for additional projection screening. Luggage and organic structure hunting may be dealt. After the hunt, bags are location through an X-ray machine before riders continue to the check-in counters. All that stated, El Al and Ben Gurion airport has for a age see that the individual is more eminent than their bags. Therefore, once in a while, if security have evaluated a individual as a low lay on the line, they will go across them straight through to the checkin desks, getting around the independent x-ray machines. Note that mitt luggage is ever x-rayed later on.
- After check-in, check over luggage is put in a pressure level chamber to gun trigger anybody possible explosive devices. Passengers elongate through to personal security and recommendation command, as in other airports. Before passing through the metal sensors and location mitt luggage through the X-ray machine, recommendations are re-checked and additional interrogations may be inquired. Before boarding the aircraft, recommendations and boarding pass are check out once more.
- Security processes for incoming voyages are not as stringent, but riders may be call into question by recommendation command depending on country of beginning, or states see prior to reaching in Israel. Passengers who have late see lands at conflict with Israel (all Arab states except Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania, and Qatar) may be theme to further interrogation.
Although the airport is 1 of the most procure in the world, the US Federal Aviation Administration constitute several faults in safety processes, and valued Ben Gurion airport a "category two" installation in (yr).
Runways
Main landing track
The closest landing track to depots one and three is 12/30, and is come after by a taxi strip. Most landings take location on this landing track from West to East, draw close from the Mediterranean Sea over southern Tel Aviv. During inclement weather condition, it may also be used for takeoffs (Direction twelve). A 17 million NIS redevelopment labor was finished in November 2007 which reenforced the landing track and made it suitable for time to come widebody aircraft such as the new Airbus A380. In September 2008, a new ILS assisting the landing track was set off.
Short landing track
In the past, the short landing track principally assisted freight aircraft of the Israeli Air Force. Today it operates largely as a taxi strip for the quiet landing track. Rarely, it is used for districting from northward to southward (Direction 21). By early in the next decennium nevertheless, the IAF installations adjacent to the short landing track are slated to be relocated to Nevatim and the landing track shall be continued and location into full commercial use, enabling a new traffic pattern to the field and letting the airport to increase the figure of aircraft moves it is able to deal. Work to construct and continue the landing track will set about in Spring 2009. The new landing track shall be ILS-capable.
Quiet landing track
The longest landing track at the field, 3,657 metres (11,998 foot), and the independent start landing track from east to due west (Direction 26/08), bring up to as "the quiet landing track" since jet plane start in this way bring forth small sound pollution for border inhabitants. This is the newest landing track in the airport, built in the early 1970s. A 24 million NIS redevelopment labor finished in February 2006 reenforced the landing track and made it suitable for time to come widebody aircraft such as the new Airbus A380.
Access
Rail
Main article: Ben Gurion Airport Railway StationIsrael Railways functions the Ben Gurion Airport Railway Station, handily turn up in the lower stage of Terminal 3. From this station riders may caput north west to Tel Aviv, Haifa and other destinations in the northward, or south east to Modi'in. The journey to Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station takes approximately 18 min. and costs 13 NIS (approx. US$3.70). Over a million riders used the line in 2005. The line to Modi'in is division of a new railway line under building from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which is scheduled for pass completion in 2012. The service does not function on Shabbat and Jewish vacations. The line to Haifa through Tel-Aviv runs 24 60 minutes a solar day.
Bus or cab
The airport is assisted by regular inter-city bus line, a special airport shuttle with evince service to Tel Aviv, Sherut "shared" door to door cab vanguards, and standard cab. An Egged #5 shuttle coach ferries riders between the depots and a little bus depot in the Airport City industrial parkland where they is able to tie to regular Egged bus route passing through the area . Passengers link up at Airport City is able to pay for both sits on the same ticket, not paying duplicate money for coach #5. Other bus corporations direct assist Terminal 3, and the airport also provides a free shuttle jitney.
Car
Located on Highway 1, the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem main road, the airport has a aggregative of 11,300 parking zone for short and long-term parkland. The infinites for long-term parkland are located several kilometres from the depot, and are hit by a free shuttle jitney.
Scheduled Route Development and Changes
- El Al may set about direct voyages to New Delhi by summertime 2009.
Original article.