A few words about Airports in Israel

Want to know a bit about airports in Israel?

Although Israel is quite small it has a lot of traffic in and out of the country. There are several airports but only a few of these handle international flights. All airports are managed by the Israel Airports Authority.

Ben Gurion International Airport

Named after David Ben Gurion – Israel’s first prime minister - This is the largest and by far the busiest International airport in Israel. Almost all international flights arrive and depart from this airport – so if you plan to arrive to Israel you will most likely land here.

In 2008 over 11.5 million passengers passed into and out of Israel through this airport – which is referred to by Israelis as NATBAG (its acronym in Hebrew). Ben Gurion airport is very close to Tel Aviv – only 15km (9 miles) southeast, but is actually much closer to the city of Lod. The airport has 3 runways.

Ben Gurion International Airport

In 2006 the airport came in 1st among 40 European airports in a survey done to determine the most customer-friendly airport. It was also named the best airport in the Middle East. Not to mention the duty free shops which are really good and above and beyond all your expectations…
Another fact that might be of interest to you is that Ben Gurion Airport is one of the most secured airports in the world.

Security check at the Ben Gurion International Airport

Ovda Airport

This is Israel’s second International airport – However it is much smaller than Ben Gurion and handles very little traffic. It is located in the southern part of Israel about 60km (40 miles) north of Eilat. Ovda Airport is due to cease handling civilian traffic in 2010 when the new International Airport in Eilat will become operational.

Eilat Airport

A small airport in the city of Eilat. This airport takes care of domestic flights especially from Tel Aviv and northern Israel. It is expected to close in 2010 when the new international airport will be open in the city.

Haifa International Airport

Located in (surprise!) Haifa in the north this airport deals with domestic and international flights mainly to close by destinations such as Jordan, Greece and Turkey.

Other than the above airports there are several other smaller airports in Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Rosh Pina and other places. I hope you will enjoy your flight when you arrive to or depart from one of the airports in Israel.

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