Ben Ya'akov Airport
| Ben Ya'akov Airport |
|
| Ben Ya'akov Airport |
| IATA: RPN – ICAO: LLIB
Location of airport in Israel |
| Summary |
| Airport type |
Rosh Pina |
| Operator |
922 |
| Location |
281 |
| Runways |
| Direction |
Length |
Surface |
| ft |
m |
| 05/23 |
3,190 |
972 |
Asphalt |
| 15/33 |
3,655 |
1,114 |
Asphalt |
Ben Ya'akov Airport (IATA: RPN, ICAO: LLIB), officially known as Rosh Pina Airport and sometimes called Mahanayim Airfield due to its proximity to Mahanayim, is an Israeli airport located in Rosh Pina. It handles domestic flights to Tel Aviv's Sde Dov Airport and occasionally serves the Israeli Air Force.
History
The airport was built in 1943 during the British Mandate for Palestine. Mahanayim served the British army against Vichy France in Syria. In 1948 the airport was taken over by the IAF. In the 1950s, Arkia Israel Airlines began service to the airport, working from a hut which served as a passenger terminal and air traffic control tower. By 1968, a new terminal building had been constructed and three years later, in 1971, a fire station and control tower were erected. Following increased activity, the passenger terminal was further expanded in 1994.
Accidents
- On 19 April 1974 two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters collided over the airport. One of the helicopters managed to land safely while the other helicopter crashed and caught fire. All eight IDF soldiers on board died.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Since the beginning of the century the airport has seen a decreasing number of passengers (though this trend has stabilized since 2006). The drop off in passenger volume has been attributed to major upgrades undertaken on the road infrastructure to the northern periphery of Israel since the early 2000s, leading to a viable alternative to air service to the region.
| Year |
Total Domestic Passengers |
Total Domestic Operations |
| 1999 |
168,915 |
21,647 |
| 2000 |
123,595 |
18,137 |
| 2001 |
127,123 |
19,593 |
| 2002 |
108,016 |
17,926 |
| 2003 |
80,277 |
15,706 |
| 2004 |
54,764 |
14,995 |
| 2005 |
45,306 |
13,149 |
| 2006 |
16,110 |
11,592 |
| 2007 |
16,790 |
11,017 |
| 2008 |
19,766 |
9,703 |
| 2009 |
19,050 |
7,614 |
| 2010 |
23,067 |
10,275 |
External links
|
|
|
| Airports |
|
|
| Border Terminals |
|
|
| Defunct/Former Properties |
|
|