Ben Gurion Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym Natbag (נתב״ג), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is the busiest airport in the country. It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the northwest of Jerusalem and 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the southeast of Tel Aviv. Until 1973, it was known as Lod Airport, whereafter it was renamed in honour of David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), the first Israeli prime minister. The airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia, and Sun d'Or, and is managed by the Israel Airports Authority.
Ben Gurion International Airport נמל התעופה בן-גוריון مطار بن غوريون الدولي | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Transport and Road Safety | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Israel Airports Authority | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Gush Dan and Greater Jerusalem | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Central District, Israel | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hub for |
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| Focus city for | Bluebird Airways | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 135 ft / 41 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°00′34″N 034°52′58″E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | iaa.gov.il | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
TLV Location within Israel TLV Location within the Middle East | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||||||
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In 2019, Ben Gurion Airport handled 24.8 million passengers. It is considered to be among the five best airports in the Middle East due to its passenger experience and its high level of security; while it has been the target of several terrorist attacks, no attempt to hijack a plane departing from Ben Gurion Airport has ever succeeded.
The airport holds extreme strategic importance to Israel as it is one of the few convenient entry points into the country for most travellers. As Ben Gurion Airport once held standalone significance, it was regarded as a single point of failure, which led to the opening of Ramon Airport in 2019.