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Israel by plane


Israel by plane

Israel's main international airport is Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International Airport (code IATA:TLV, ICAO: LLBG) which is located approximately 40km from Jerusalem and 12 km from central Tel Aviv, and serves both cities. Ben Gurion acts as a hub for Israel's three main international airlines, El Al Israel's largest airline and flag carrier offering flights across the globe, Arkia Israel Airlines , Israel's largest domestic airline who also serve a number of European destinations, and Israir who also serve many European destinations as well as New York City. Around 50 international airlines fly to Ben Gurion airport from around the world, including Delta, Continental, US Airways, Turkish Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines, British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Iberia, LOT, Olympic Airways, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Transaero, Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air (vai Air Sinai), Ethiopean Airlines, Korean Air, Cyprus Airways, Air Canada, AeroSvit, Tandem Aero, Swiss, CSA, JAT and more. You can also fly in to Ben Gurion International via low cost airlines from London (Luton) and Geneva on Easyjet and from Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf or Munich (direct) and many other European cities on Air Berlin or Germanwings . Israel's second international airport (used mostly by charter carriers) is located at Ovda , and serves the south of Israel, predominantly, Eilat (code: VDA)

Note that security measures above and beyond what you might encounter in most countries are taken for flights both to and from Israel - these, of course, are undertaken for your and other passengers safety and security. Arriving at the terminal at least three hours before your flight is well advised, as Israeli security procedures can be time-consuming. Bag inspection, both by machine and hand, is routine and should be expected, in addition to repeated interviews about your time in Israel. Keep your cool in what can be a frustrating time - it really is done with the best intentions, if not always the most elegant execution. Having the telephone number of friends or colleagues you may have spent time with in Israel, and who can vouch for you, always helps the process. If travelling as part of a group, they will usually question you separately before cross checking your accounts.

From the airport to Jerusalem, take bus line 947 (7:00-21:00, every 20 minutes, 20 NIS). To Tel-Aviv and the rest of the country, take the direct Tel-Aviv train (3:53-23:23, every half an hour during day, every hour during night, 14 NIS). From Tel-Aviv to other destinations, continue by train or bus. Note that neither train nor bus service is available on Shabbat (Friday afternoon to Saturday sunset). Taxi service is also available, though not particularly cheap. A better option is a shared taxi, or sherut - these are available outside the airport terminal. Please note that the boxed advice about not allowing Israeli customs officials to stamp your passport can be a problem, too. In November 2008 three travelers, following the Wiki advice, asked their Israeli customs officer to stamp a separate sheet of paper, which she did. Shortly thereafter, another airport official collected the loose sheets without realizing what they were and tore them up as part of a routine passage through the airport. The travelers ended up with no verification that they had entered Israel legally. This caused problems throughout the rest of their visit to Israel. When they checked with a U.S. Consular employee, he advised them that, unless they intended to travel to Syria or Iran, there was no reason at all to ask for the Israeli custom stamp to be placed on a separate sheet of paper from their passport. Travel to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Iran, Algeria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Qatar, and Kuwait will not be possible with an Israeli stamp -- you will be refused at their border. However, travel to other Muslim countries that have no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia is still allowed with an Israeli stamp.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Israel


Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Israel - updated Apr 2024

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Israel Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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