Ben-Gurion Airport is Israel's main international airport, and is the busiest one in the country. Originally named Lod Airport in 1948, it was renamed after Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion in 1973.
Located on the outskirts of the city of Lod, 15KM from Tel Aviv, the airport is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation responsible for all public airports and border crossings in the country.
The two operational terminals at the airport are Terminal one and Terminal three.
Terminal one was the main building in Ben-Gurion Airport before the opening of Terminal three, upon which it was closed except for domestic and government flights. Between 2010-2017 the terminal was used for check-in, security screening, and passport control for low-cost international flights, although the flights themselves departed from Terminal 3. Since 2017, the low-cost flights have departed from Terminal one after extensive renovations. Terminal Three has been the main international gateway in and out of Israel since it opened in October 2004.
Ben-Gurion International Airport is thought to be the world's most secure airport, with vehicles going through a preliminary security gate before even entering the compound. Armed personal are positioned around the building, and both uniformed and plainclothes security officers patrol the inside of the building.
The flight was part of Operation Safe Return, launched to bring home between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis stuck abroad.
Airlines have canceled thousands of flights, offering no real solutions for accommodation or onward travel for those stranded in Israel amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
The decision to concentrate Israeli citizens in Cyprus and Greece was no coincidence, but a powerful demonstration of the strategic alliance that has been steadily built over the past decade.
Operation 'Safe Return': Private airlines and the Mano Maritime shipping company will be mobilized to bring stranded Israelis home by air and by sea.
Private initiatives have emerged to help Israelis trapped abroad to enter the locked-down country through Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
There are other ways to leave and enter Israel other than by flights. Here are your options, and how much they will cost.
Israel's version of Air Force One took off from Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday morning just before IDF spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin announced that Iran launched over 100 attack drones.
Several airlines canceled flights to Israel in recent weeks following a Houthi missile strike on Ben-Gurion Airport in April.
Now, the options to soar are limited, and while flying abroad can have a euphoric effect, keep in mind it will cost you to achieve this inner peace.
Dan Hotels, which has operated five lounges at Ben Gurion Airport until now, will make way for international companies JETEX in partnership with Teddy Sagi’s LAYAM and SWISSPORT.
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