Page 36 - Aviation News - September 2017

BEN GURION AIRPORT

ISRAEL’S INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY

Noam Menashe describes the fascinating history of Israel’s biggest

airport and the developments to meet its ever-growing passenger numbers.

ince the creation of the state of Asia. Three years later it returned to its In 1951 the rst of many projects to
Israel in 1948, Ben Gurion Airport original role as an international airport with improve the airport started and included
has played an important role in an inaugural TWA ight to New York. expanding and renovating the terminal
Sthe country’s history, such as The British gave up control of the airport building, which included the air traffic control
handling the arrival of huge numbers of in January 1948 and it was taken over by tower and emergency services centre, to
Jewish immigrants from all over the world, the Arab Legion before being captured by meet the demand from rising passenger
and has even remained open during wars. the newly formed Israel Defense Forces numbers.
It is the only airport that handles scheduled during the Arab-Israeli War, which started
international services and so is the main point the day after Israel declared independence JET ERA
of entry for overseas visitors to the Holy Land. on May 14 . On November 24 that year, the On November 24, 1959 the rst jet airliner
The original air eld – built in 1936 on then Lod International Airport (IATA code landed in Israel – a de Havilland Comet of
the outskirts of the town of Lydda (now the TLV) reopened as the new Israeli state’s only BEA, which touched down at the airport to
Israeli city of Lod) during the British Mandate aerial gateway to the world. Over the next test the main runway. Construction started
for Palestine – was known as Wilhelma 12 months it handled 40,000 passengers on Terminal 2 at the eastern end of the
Airport, after a German Templer colony, and played a key role in the immigration of airport in 1967 and it opened two years later
Wilhelma-Hamîdije, and constructed with 180,000 Jews from Yemen and Iraq as well to handle domestic ights to Eilat and Haifa.
four concrete runways, each 2,624ft (800m) as Europe between 1949 and 1952. While signi cantly smaller than the main
long and which crossed each other in a In 1949, airlines El Al (for international facility, it was also used for international
pattern that was typical of the time. ights) and Arkia (domestic services) set services when the airport was very busy.
The Royal Air Force started using the up there. Four years later Bedek Aviation The Yom Kippur War in October 1973
air eld on March 1, 1943 – as RAF Station Company – subsequently known as represented a major test for the airport.
Lydda – for air transport and aircraft ferry Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), then Israel Between October 14 and November 14,
operations to Africa, the Middle East (mainly Aerospace Industries – began operating at US forces conducted Operation Nickel
Iraq and Persia) and south and southeast the airport. Grass, a strategic airlift to deliver weapons

36 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2017

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