Ben Gurion Airport
| Ben Gurion Airport נמל התעופה בן-גוריון (נתב״ג) Nemal haTe'ufa Ben-Gurion |
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| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | LLBG |
| IATA code | TLV |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 41 m (135 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 19 km southeast of Tel Aviv, 50 km west of Jerusalem |
| Street | Highway 1 to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem |
| train | High-speed railway Tel Aviv – Jerusalem or Modi'in and the main line to Haifa |
| Local transport | various bus and shared taxi connections |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1935 |
| operator | Israel Airports Authority |
| Passengers | 14,925,369 (2014) |
| Air freight | 328,497 t (2006) |
| Flight movements |
112,653 (2014) |
| Capacity ( PAX per year) |
16 million |
| Runways | |
| 03/21 | 2780 m × 45 m asphalt |
| 08/26 | 4280 m × 45 m asphalt |
| 12/30 | 3112 m × 45 m asphalt |
The Ben Gurion Airport ( Hebrew נְמֵל הַתְּעוּפָה בֶּן־גּוּרִיּוֹן N əmel ha- T əʿūfah B en- G ūrijjōn ; often as an acronym N a TB a G ,נתב״ג; Arabic مطار بن غوريون الدولي, DMG maṭār Bin Ġūriyūn ad-duwalī ) is Israel's most important and largest airport and has by far the most border crossings in and out of the country. The term Tel Aviv Airport is also occasionally used. Ben Gurion Airport is the home airport of the Israeli airline El Al .
The airport opened in 1935 as Lydda Airport . After the founding of Israel, it was named Lod International Airport in 1948 . In 1975 the airport was named after David Ben-Gurion , the first Prime Minister of Israel.
Location and transport links
Ben Gurion Airport is located east of Tel Aviv on the motorway to Jerusalem ; Tel Aviv is about 20 kilometers away by road and Jerusalem is about 50 kilometers away.
Since October 2004 there has been an express train connection to Tel Aviv , which connects the airport to the rail network of the Israeli railway 'Rakkevet Israel' and also enables journeys via the main line to Haifa and Nahariyya . There are also a number of Egged bus services , including to Jerusalem. Since December 22, 2019, the high-speed train has been running between Tel Aviv ( HaHagana station ) and Jerusalem ( Yitzhak Navon station ) or, by means of a connection to Modiʿin (since 2008), with a stop at Ben Gurion Airport. The train currently runs every 30 minutes, and every 20 minutes in future. Further stations in Tel Aviv are to be added in 2020.
Shared taxis, so-called Scherutim , are also available for travelers . The Sherutim go to any place in Israel and are significantly cheaper than normal taxis, but the drivers do not let the travelers get off at the desired address, so you have to take detours.
history
The beginnings
The airport's runways and Terminal 1 were laid out at the time of the British mandate in the 1930s. Construction began in 1935, with two gravel roads being completed initially. On August 3, 1935, Misr Airwork took on a line connection from Cairo via the new Lydda Airport to Nicosia with aircraft of the type De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide . By April 1937, four concrete runways had been completed, each 800 m long and 100 m wide. Shortly afterwards they were extended to 1,100 m. The completion of the runways made it possible for large aircraft to land at the airport. The Polish LOT was the first European company to fly to the airport with Douglas DC-2 from Warsaw on April 4, 1937 . Palestine Airways began operations on August 11, 1937 and was the first airline to use Lydda Airport as its home base. The Dutch KLM flew to the airport from 1938 as a stopover on their route from Amsterdam to Batavia . In the same year, the Romanian LARES set up a line connection to Lydda. One of the most important routes was the British Imperial Airways connection from London via Lydda to Bombay . At the end of 1937, the construction of a hangar for the large aircraft of Imperial Airways began. This hangar was built with the support of a German company. It is still used today by the El Al airline . In October 1938, the Royal Air Force opened the RAF Lydda station, an air base at the airport.
During the Second World War
After the outbreak of the Second World War , Lydda Airport was mainly used for regional flights and continued to be served by Imperial Airways and BOAC until June 1940 and by KLM and Misr Work until 1942. In the same year, all regional line connections had to be terminated. The RAF Station Lydda was temporarily placed under the control of the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 and the four runways were extended from 1,100 m to 2,000 m.
End of the world war and withdrawal of the British
From 1944 the airport was used for civilian purposes again. In 1946, Trans World Airlines opened a scheduled service between the USA and Israel.
At the end of April 1948 the British left RAF Lydda station. Only the local Arab forces and soldiers from the Jordanian Armed Forces remained within the boundaries of the airport. In July 1948, Lydda Airport was transferred to the Ministry of Transport and is now known as Lod International Airport.
El Al opened an airline to Paris via Rome in July 1949. During the first year of Israel's independence, around 40,000 passengers passed through Lod Airport.
Founding of Arkia and strong expansion
In 1950, Arkia began domestic flights from Lod to Eilat, Machanayim and Haifa. During the winter of 1951/1952 the passenger terminal was enlarged by 36,000 square meters and the runway was extended to 2,400 meters. The passenger capacity increased to 100,000 passengers per month. In 1953 a company was founded that serviced hundreds of civil and military aircraft.
In October 1955 El Al opened connections to Nairobi and Johannesburg and thus the first direct flight connections from Tel Aviv to the African continent.
The first jet aircraft
In April 1960, scheduled connections with jet aircraft were inaugurated, including British European Airways flights to London and Athens . In January 1961, El Al inaugurated the first overseas route to New York with a chartered Boeing 707 . The number of foreign airlines rose sharply. Therefore, the runways have been adapted to the operation of modern jets.
By the mid-1960s, 14 airlines operated international routes from Tel Aviv. In contrast, the airport administration transferred the domestic flights to Sde-Dov airfield in northern Tel Aviv. Even then, the first plans to expand the terminal began.
After the Six Day War , there was an impressive increase in air traffic and numerous other airlines flew to the airport.
In 1969 the national passenger terminal was inaugurated.
First jumbo
The first jumbo jet landed at the airport in 1970 . In the summer of 1971, El Al began regular wide-body flights. In 1972 the massacre at Lod airport by Japanese terrorists occurred . During the Yom Kippur War , which broke out in October 1973, there was a sharp decline in civil air traffic, but there was an increase in cargo volumes because the military equipment was brought to the airport.
renaming
In December 1973, David Ben-Gurion , the first Prime Minister of Israel, died. After his death, the government decided to name the airport after him as a symbol of appreciation for his life's work. Lod Airport has been called Ben-Gurion Airport since then.
Technical expansions and anniversary
In the 1980s, passenger traffic at the airport increased. The terminal building was expanded, a new control tower was built and the radar systems were improved. A number of varied events took place at the airport during these years (e.g. aviation exhibitions). On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the airport, an anniversary stamp was issued in cooperation with the Post in July 1986.
The 1990s and the new Terminal 3
At the beginning of the 1990s, the airport experienced a large wave of immigration from the Soviet Union . As the number of passengers and air freight increased at the airport, the authorities began planning the construction of a new terminal. In January 1994, the government of Israel made the decision to build Terminal 3. As part of this, it was preparing for the third millennium. On October 25, 1998, about 5 years after the decision to build the additional terminal, the foundation stone for Terminal 3 was laid.
The airport today
Terminal 3 was completed in November 2004, and the railway connection to Tel Aviv that was built at the same time has been in operation since October 2004.
Terminals
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 was built in 1936. It was the main terminal of the airport until Terminal 3 opened. In 2007 Terminal 1 reopened after two years of renovation. The cost of the renovation was around 3.3 million euros . It has an area of 8000 square meters and is divided into three main areas. It is only on one floor and is now the new domestic terminal. It can handle up to four aircraft at the same time.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 was inaugurated in 1969. Until Terminal 1 was reopened on February 20, 2007, it served as a domestic terminal. Until the decision to convert Terminal 1 into a special terminal for low-cost airlines , it was planned to demolish the terminal.
Terminal 3
The decision to build Terminal 3 was made in 1994. The planning was carried out on the one hand by the New York office Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Karmi Architects of Jerusalem and on the other hand by Mosche Safdie . Moshe Safdie largely took care of the design of the gates . The foundation stone was laid in October 1998 and completion took place in November 2004. The size is about 10,000 square meters. There are four security areas, 110 check-in counters with plasma screens , six flight display boards, eight elevators , numerous escalators , five moving walks and several food and drink machines . Jerusalem stone, glass and stainless steel were combined to design the check-in hall. There is also a 4-star hotel at the terminal, which is intended to serve not only the passengers but also the flight personnel. It has over 120 rooms and was funded by the Israel Airports Authority . With Terminal 3, the airport's passenger capacity increased from nine to 16 million a year.
On February 15, 2018, an extension of Terminal 3 by eight passenger boarding bridges and four bus exits was inaugurated, increasing the passenger capacity to 23 million annually.
Runways
Ben Gurion Airport has three lanes. The 30/12 runway is used the most because it has very short taxiways to Terminals 1 and 3. Aircraft from the direction of the Mediterranean, i.e. from Europe and North America, use this runway. It is possible either to land on runway 12 using the ILS landing system or to manually fly a traffic pattern past the airport and then land in a visual approach to runway 30. It was also prepared for the Airbus A380 through modifications in 2007 and should soon also received an ILS for approaches from the east.
The runway 08/26 is also called the "quiet runway" because it is used almost exclusively for takeoffs. The departure routes of runway 26 are designed so that they cause almost no aircraft noise in residential areas, which is why almost only this runway is used at peak times, especially in the morning around 6 a.m., i.e. after the night flight ban has ended. In addition, runway 26 is used for landing in very bad weather, as it has a high-precision landing system (CAT III). Runway 08/26 is the newest at Ben Gurion Airport, and it was renovated again in 2005. It will soon (from 2008) have a new safety zone to roll out at the end of the runway in order to meet ICAO requirements.
Runway 03/21 is only used as a taxiway for aircraft taking off on runway 26. The Israeli Air Force rarely uses them for their airport-based C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. It is the oldest and shortest of all runways. It is planned to extend this runway to around 3000 m in order to enable the simultaneous operation (in the form of a V) of the runways one each as a runway.
future
In the future, it is planned to extend runway 03/21 to around 3000 meters, redesign the control tower and build a new main hall (Hall E). Terminal 1 and the parking spaces are to be expanded for this purpose. It is also planned to transform the airport into a “green airport”. A master plan is to be implemented in which greater attention should be paid to waste disposal and recycling as well as finding alternative energy sources and savings. A modernization of the gas leak check on the fuel lines and the maximization of the use of wastewater for various purposes (e.g. in the cooling towers) are also planned.
particularities
The Ben-Gurion Airport is known, among other things, for its rigid security controls, so vehicles are checked before they enter the area around the airport. When leaving the country, time-consuming security checks of the luggage and questioning of the passengers take place. Therefore, it is considered the safest airport in the world. It is also the only Israeli airport to have free WiFi access .
Incidents
- On February 5, 1950, a Douglas DC-4 (C-54A) of the El Al ( aircraft registration number 4X-ACD) slipped from the runway during take-off and caught fire. All 50 inmates survived the incident.
- On October 26, 1969 crashed Vickers Viscount 833 of Arkia Israeli Airlines (4X AVC) while landing during a night training flight at the airport Tel Aviv-Lod. All three pilots on board survived the total write-off.
- On November 30, 1970, a Boeing 707-373C of Trans World Airlines (N790TW) at Tel Aviv-Lod started a cargo flight. At the same time an empty, unlit C-97K Stratofreighter of the Israeli Air Force (4X-FPS / 037) was towed over the runway . Despite an attempt to abort take-off , both aircraft collided and caught fire. Two people were killed on the ground, the three-person crew of the TWA machine survived the incident (see also aircraft collision at Lod Airport ) .
- After a Hamas rocket struck near the airport in July 2014 as part of the Gaza conflict , numerous airlines, including the German Lufthansa , suspended operations for two to four days. The EASA advised to avoid the airport the airlines.
Awards
Ben Gurion Airport was named the best airport in the Middle East by Airports Council International (ACI) in 2007 . It also has the best domestic passenger terminal in the Middle East and was named the second best airport in the category with a capacity of 5 to 15 million passengers per year.
Web links
- Site of Ben Gurion airport (English)
- Aerial view of the airport
- Overview of all incidents at the airport
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Statistics at www.iaa.gov.il (English), accessed on September 2, 2015.
- ↑ ACI ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Israel Airline Museum, Chapter 1 - From Flying Camels to Flying Stars: Israel Reborn (1917-1948), Airport Development Under the British , accessed June 6, 2020
- ↑ Aviation Safety Network, Lydda Airport profile , accessed June 6, 2020
- ^ "First direct trains between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv commence operation". In: Jerusalem Post , accessed December 23, 2019. (English)
- ^ Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organization, RAF Lydda , accessed June 6, 2020
- ↑ a b Israel Airline Museum, Chapter 1 - From Flying Camels to Flying Stars: Israel Reborn (1917-1948), The Impact of World War II , accessed June 6, 2020
- ↑ Report on the reopening of Terminal 1
- ↑ ynetnews.com (English)
- ↑ Report on the check-in area (English)
- ↑ A BOT tender to be published for Ben Gurion hotel on port2port.com ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Israelnetz.de of February 16, 2018: Extension of Ben Gurion Airport opened
- ↑ A report on the future of the airport
- ↑ Information from the Federal Foreign Office
- ↑ boston.com (English)
- ↑ Accident report DC-4 4X-ACD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 21, 2019.
- ↑ Accident report Viscount 800 4X-AVC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 21, 2019.
- ^ Accident report collision TLV: B-707 N790TW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 16, 2019.
- ^ Accident report collision TLV: C-97K 4X-FPS / 037 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 16, 2019.
- ^ Gaza conflict: Lufthansa cancels all flights to Tel Aviv . mirror online. July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ↑ Ben Gurion Airport ranks best in Mideast on: ynetnews.com
