Ben Gurion International Airport ( Hebrew: נמל התעופה בן גוריון , Namal HaTe'ūfa Ben Gūryōn , (IATA: TLV , ICAO: LLBG ), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag ( Hebrew: נתב"ג ), is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, with about 10.5 million passengers passing through it in 2007. It was known as Wilhelma Airport when it was first founded by the British Mandate of Palestine. It was known as Lod Airport from 1948 until 1973, when the name was changed to honor Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion.
The airport is located near the city of Lod, 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv. It is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in the State of Israel.
Ben Gurion Airport is the hub of El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia Israel Airlines, and Sun d'Or International Airlines. During the 1980s and 1990s, it was a focus city of the now-defunct Tower Air. Today, Terminal 3 is used for international flights, and Terminal 1 is used for domestic flights as well as charter and low-cost flights in the summer months. The airport has three runways and is used by commercial, private, and military aircraft.
The airport is located near Highway 1, the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway, and Highway 40. The airport is accessible by car or public bus. Israel Railways operates train service to and from the airport to certain parts of the country, and taxi stands are located outside the arrivals building. Another transportation option is the shared taxi van, known in Hebrew as a sherut, going to Beer Sheva, Haifa and Jerusalem.
Ben Gurion Airport is considered one of the world's most secure airports, with a security force that includes both police officers and IDF 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.