Ben Gurion International Airport (Hebrew: נְמַל הַתְּעוּפָה בֵּן גּוּרְיוֹן, Nemal HaTe'ūfa Ben Gurion, Arabic: مَطَار بِن غُورْيُون أَلدُّوَلِيّ Maṭār Bin Ghūrīūn ad-Duwaliyy) (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag (Hebrew: נתב"ג), is Israel's main international airport with thirteen million passengers served in 2011. It is one of two airports serving the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. The other being Sde Dov Airport which provides primarily domestic flights. Ben Gurion International Airport serves as an international gateway to not only the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem metropolitan areas, but also to the majority of Israel. The airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, and Arkia Israel Airlines.
Ben Gurion airport is located on the outskirts of the city of Lod, 19 km (12 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv's city centre. Ben Gurion Airport is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in Israel.
Ben Gurion airport is considered one of the world's most secure airports, with a security force that includes Israel Police officers, IDF and Israel Border Police soldiers. Airport security guards operate both in uniform and undercover to maintain a high level of vigilance and detect any possible threats. The airport has been the target of several terrorist attacks, but no attempt to hijack a plane departing from Ben Gurion airport has succeeded.
Read more about Ben Gurion International Airport: History, Administrative Buildings, Security Procedures, Passenger Rankings, Traffic Volume, Access, Airlines and Destinations, Accolades
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“When long ago I saw her ride
Under Ben Bulben to the meet,
The beauty of her country-side
With all youth’s lonely wildness stirred,
She seemed to have grown clean and sweet
Like any rock-bred, sea-borne bird....”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.”
—David Ben Gurion (1886–1973)
“It was like taking a beloved person to the airport and returning to an empty house. I miss the people. I miss the world.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)