Ben Gurion Airport (TLV)
About Ben Gurion Airport
Credit: Vladislav Bezrukov on Flickr
Ben Gurion Airport is an international airport just outside of the city Lod, Israel. Lod is located 12 miles southeast of the country's capital, Tel Aviv. Therefore, some people refer to Ben Gurion Airport as Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport.
The airport is mainly used to facilitate international flights across Europe, Asia, North America and South America. However, there is a small number of domestic flights from the airport too.
Ben Gurion Airport is a hub for El Al Israel Airlines, Israir Airlines, Arkia and Sun D'or.
The airport was built in 1936 and has many rebuildings and renovations, most notably with the four terminal buildings that have existed at the airport. As of today, two of those terminal buildings are still being used for commercial flights.
What is the airport code for Ben Gurion Airport?
The airport code for Ben Gurion Airport is TLV.
Airport Location
Ben Gurion Airport is located just outside the city of Lod, Israel. Lod is 12 miles away from Tel Aviv. It's normally around a 30-minute drive from the airport to Tel Aviv. However, it can take up to one hour at busy times of the day.
Facilities
Ben Gurion Airport is regarded as one of the best airports in the Middle East in terms of experience, facilities and security.
Facilities Include:
- WIFI
- Shopping
- Dining
- Passenger assistance
- Currency exchange
- ATMs
- Airport lounges
- Currency exchange
- ATMs
- Parking facilities
- Car rental (shuttle from the terminal)
- Hotels
Lounges by terminal:
Dan Plus Lounge
Located at Terminal 3
- Free food
- Free bar
- WIFI
- Internet terminals
- Newspapers and magazines
- TV screens
- Flight monitors
*Closed on Shabbat*
Dan Lounge
Located at Terminal 3 (Concourse B)
- Free snacks
- Free bar
- WIFI
- Flight monitors
- Newspapers and magazines
- TV screens
Dan Lounge
Located at Terminal 3 (Concourse C)
- Free snacks
- Free bar
- WIFI
- Flight monitors
- Newspapers and magazines
- TV screens
Diamond Lounge
Located at Terminal B.
- Free snacks
- Free bar
- WIFI
- Showers
- Flight monitors
- Newspapers and magazines
- TV screens
*Only available for passengers travelling on flights in the non-Schengen area*
Schmoozy Bar
Located at Terminal 3 (Concourse E)
- WIFI
- Food and drink available to purchase
- Flight monitors
- TV screens
*Closed on religious holidays*
The King David Business Class Lounge
Located at Terminal 3
- Free beer and wine
- Free snacks
- WIFI
- Showers
- Spa
- Flight monitors
- TV screens
- Newspapers and magazines
The King David Business Class Lounge
Located at Terminal 3
- Free snacks
- Free bar
- WIFI
- Showers
- Spa
- Flight monitors
- TV screens
- Newspapers and magazines
- Internet terminals
Book Lounge Passes for Ben Gurion Airport
Did you know that you can buy lounge passes for Ben Gurion Airport with Alternative Airlines? You can purchase them for the Dan Lounge found at Terminal 3.
Runways
There are three runways that are used at Ben Gurion Airport — runway 12/30, runway 08/26 and runway 03/21.
Runway 12/30 (3,122 m in length) is the main runway at the airport. It can handle wide body aircraft and has an Instrument Landing System. The runway is mainly used for landing, with the vast majority of airlines arriving on this runway. Although rare, the runway does sometimes handle departures too.
Runway 08/26 (4,062 m in length) is the longest runway at the airport. It can handle wide body planes and has an Instrument Landing System. The runway is only used for takeoff.
Runway 03/21 (1,780 m in length) is the shortest and least active runway at the airport. It mainly facilitates flights from cargo and charter airlines. However, it's occasionally used for arrivals at certain times of the day too.
Terminals
Ben Gurion Airport has two active terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. There is a shuttle that takes passengers between the two terminals on a regular basis. The airport also has two closed, inactive airports, Terminal 2 and Terminal 4.
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 is the secondary terminal at the airport. The terminal was originally the main terminal building at the airport, however, when Terminal 3 opened, the terminal began operating as domestic terminal. Today, it facilitates a mix of domestic and international flights, with a particular focus on handling flights from low cost airlines.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 was opened in 2004 and is the main terminal at the airport. It handles most of the airport's international flights and is split into five different concourses. Terminal 3 is also where all of the airport's lounges are located.
Airlines that fly to Ben Gurion Airport
Here's a list of all the airlines that currently fly to/from the airport.
| AIRLINE | COUNTRY FROM |
|---|---|
| Aegean airlines | Grecia |
| Aeroflot | Rusia |
| airBaltic | Latvia |
| Air Canada | Canadá |
| Air Europa | Spain |
| Air France | France |
| Air india | India |
| Air Malta | Malta |
| Air Moldova | Moldavia |
| Aire serbia | Serbia |
| Air Seychelles | Seychelles |
| Air Sinai | Sinai |
| Alitalia | Italia |
| American Airlines | USA |
| Arkia | Israel |
| Aircompany Armenia | Armenia |
| AtlasGlobal | Turkey |
| Austrian Airlines | Austria |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | Azerbaijan |
| Belavia | Belarus |
| Blue Air | Romania |
| British Airways | UK |
| Brussels Airlines | Bélgica |
| Bulgaria Air | Bulgaria |
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong |
| Cyprus airways | Chipre |
| Delta Air Lines | USA |
| easyjet | UK |
| easyJet Switzerland | Suiza |
| El Al Israel Airlines | Israel |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Etiopía |
| finnair | Finland |
| Georgian Airways | Georgia |
| Hainan Airlines | China |
| iberia | Spain |
| Israir Airlines | Israel |
| KLM | Países Bajos |
| Aire coreano | Corea del Sur |
| LATAM Chile | Chile |
| Lauda | Austria |
| Mucho polaco aerolíneas | Poland |
| lufthansa | Alemania |
| MyWay Airlines | Georgia |
| Norwegian Airlines | Noruega |
| Pegasus Airlines | Turkey |
| Rossiya | Rusia |
| Real jordano | Jordan |
| RwandAir | Rwanda |
| Ryanair | Irlanda |
| Sichuan Airlines | China |
| Smartwings | Czech Republic |
| Sun d'or | Israel |
| SUIZO | Suiza |
| Toque aire portugal | Portugal |
| TAROM | Romania |
| Transavia | Países Bajos |
| Transavia francia | France |
| Turkish Airlines | Turkey |
| Tus Airways | Chipre |
| Ukraine International Airlines | Ukraine |
| Aerolíneas Unidas | USA |
| Ural Airlines | Rusia |
| Uzbekistán Vías aéreas | Uzbekistan |
| VIRGIN ATLANTIC | UK |
| Vueling | Spain |
| Aire libre |
Top Destinations
Top International Routes
2018| Rank | Destination | Pasajeros | Aerolíneas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Istanbul-Ataturk, Turkey | 1,071,531 | AtlasGlobal, Turkish Airlines |
| 2 | Paris Charles de Gaulle, France | 871,391 | Air France, Arkia, easyJet, El Al |
| 3 | Rome–Fiumicino, Italy | 815,891 | Alitalia, El Al, Norwegian, Ryanair, Vueling |
| 4 | Moscow Sheremetyevo, Russia | 761,621 | Aeroflot |
| 5 | Kiev Boryspil, Ukraine | 654,145 | El Al, UIA |
How to get to Ben Gurion Airport
By driving
Car rental companies are located near the airport but you'll need to get a shuttle bus from the terminal to the rental station. Parking is also available if you're taking your own car and leaving it at the airport for the duration of time that you're away.
The airport can be reached off of Highway (the Jerusalem – Tel Aviv highway).
By bus
To get to the airport by bus, you can get a city bus to the Airport City Station. The city bus no.478 runs between the Tel Aviv City Centre Station and the Airport City Station regularly. Once at the Aiport City Station, you can get the no.5 shuttle bus to the airport terminal.
By train
Trains between Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway station every day from 5.30am–11.30pm. The Ben Gurion Airport–Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station route stops at some of the major stations in Tel Aviv, including the Central railway station.
By taxi
Taxis are available to pre-order online or by phone or by hailing one down on the street. There are also taxi apps available in the city, including Gett Taxi and Yango but not Uber or MyTaxi.