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Ben Gurion International Airport, named after Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, is Israel’s main airport. It is located in the heart of the country, some 40 kilometers from Jerusalem and around 15 kilometers from Tel Aviv. The airport was built by the British Mandate authorities in the 1930s.
In the late 1970s, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) was established as a statutory corporation and since then, the airport has been developed and thrived as passenger and air traffic has seen a consistent increase in volume.
In the 1990s, IAA management realized that the old Terminal 1 could no longer accommodate the increasing passenger traffic and together with the then Minister of Transportation Israel Keisar, a decision was made to build a new terminal, Terminal 3, with the capacity to take Ben Gurion Airport into the category of international airports with a volume of over 25 million passengers.
Ben Gurion Airport is the gateway to the State of Israel and as such serves citizens flying overseas and international visitors.
The airport has two main terminals: Terminal 3 for international flights and Terminal 1 for both domestic and low-cost international flights.
Ben Gurion Airport is a modern airport equipped with some of the most advanced technology in the world, with operational flight facilities meeting international standards, it provides accessible services for passengers in need of assistance, and provides high level passenger services and special VIP services. Safety and security at the airport are among the most stringent in the world and air safety is top priority.

Operational responsibility lies with the director of Ben Gurion Airport

Ben Gurion Airport is operated by four main divisions subordinate to the airport director:

Ground Operations Division:
The Division consists of five main departments that coordinate most of the Airport's routine activity and core services in routine and in times of emergency.
• Ground Operations Department
• Ground Services Department
• Cargo Handling Department
• Coordinators and Equipment Operating Department
• Baggage Handling Department

Maintenance Division
The Division is responsible for the maintenance of equipment, buildings and mechanical and technological systems at Ben Gurion Airport, domestic airports and border crossings.

Passenger Service Division

The Division is responsible for services for incoming and and departing passengers, for state and private ceremonies, and for the maintenance of terminal facilities, including passenger information, signs and directions, taxi services, shuttle services in airport grounds and more.

Security Division
The personal safety of passengers and visitors to the airport is the sole responsibility of the Security Division.
The Division has a strict and unique structure. It is divided into designated units responsible for specific issues, that encompass the entire field of personal and general security at the airport, both visible and concealed, including security checks of hand luggage and checked baggage, spatial protection of the airport peripheral area, security within the terminals and more.

  • Shmuel Zakai, Managing Director of Ben Gurion Airport
    Shmuel Zakai has been Managing Director of Ben Gurion Airport since 2012
    Shmuel Zakai holds the rank of Brigadier General He has devoted most of his career to the defense of the State of Israel.
    1981-2004 Conscripted in the IDF and joins the Shaked Battalion where he undergoes combat training, completes an infantry squad commander course and a reconnaissance course. Zakai serves as commander of the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, deputy commander of the Hiram Formation (Division 769), commander of the Gefen Battalion at Training Base #1, receives the rank of Colonel and sets up the Guerilla Warfare School. At the same time, he commands a reserve infantry division and the Hiram Formation.
    1999–2001 Commander of the Golani Brigade
    2004 - Commander of the Gaza Division with the rank of Brigadier General
    2005 - Following his discharge from the IDF is appointed head of the security division of the Israel Airports Authority.
    2008 - Appointed assistant director general of management and organization of the IAA.
    2010 - Assistant director general of border terminals and domestic airports of the IAA.
    2012 - Manager of Ben Gurion Airport