Last Shuttle Flight, First Alien Contact Part 1 by J. Jack Bergeron

Subsequently, Misr flew via Lydda to Haifa and Baghdad. The first passenger service at the new airport was the Misr Airwork route Cairo-Lydda- Nicosia, inaugurated on 3 August 1935. It was built in 1934, largely at the urging of Airwork Services. The airport began during the British Mandate for Palestine as an airstrip of two unpaved runways on the outskirts of the town of Lydda (now Lod), near the Templer colony of Wilhelma. Sculpture of David Ben-Gurion at Ben Gurion Airport, named in his honour

History British Mandate period (1934–1948) As Ben Gurion Airport once held standalone significance, it was regarded as a single point of failure, which led to the opening of Ramon Airport in 2019. The airport holds extreme strategic importance to Israel as it is one of the few convenient entry points into the country for most travellers. It is considered to be among the five best airports in the Middle East due to its passenger experience and its high level of security while it has been the target of several terrorist attacks, no attempt to hijack a plane departing from Ben Gurion Airport has ever succeeded. In 2019, Ben Gurion Airport handled 24.8 million passengers. The airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia, and Sun d'Or, and is managed by the Israel Airports Authority. Until 1973, it was known as Lod Airport, whereafter it was renamed in honour of David Ben-Gurion, the first Israeli prime minister. It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the northwest of Jerusalem and 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the southeast of Tel Aviv. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is the busiest airport in the country.

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Israel īen Gurion International Airport ( IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym Natbag ( נתב״ג‎), is the main international airport of Israel.

Last Shuttle Flight, First Alien Contact Part 1 by J. Jack Bergeron