Ben Gurion International Airport is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010. It is rated as the best airport in the Middle East, and the second-best worldwide for airports handling 5–15 million passengers annually by the Airports Council International organisation.
The airport is located near the city of Lod, 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv. It is one of two commercial aviation airports in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, the other being Sde Dov Airport—which is located in Tel Aviv proper and serves mainly domestic flights. Ben Gurion Airport 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 International Airport serves as the home base of El Al, Israir Airlines, and Arkia Israel Airlines. Terminal 3 is used for most international flights, while Terminal 1 is used for all domestic flights. The airport has three runways and is used by commercial, private and military aircraft.
Ben Gurion International 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.
The airport was renamed Ben Gurion International Airport in 1973 to honour Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.