Ben Gurion is the hub of El Al Israel Airlines.
The current terminal (Terminal 1) and runways built by the administration of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1935 to 1939. Since then, the terminal building was constantly extended by the Israel Airports Authority. On June 15th 2004, a new ultra modern terminal (Terminal 3) is due to open. The new terminal was under construction from 1997 and is one of the major infrastructure projects in Israel. It is build to service 16 million passengers a year comparing to the current 9 million passengers.
Ben Gurion has long been a target of Palestinian terrorist groups, and so among the many terrorist attempts, in 1985, a TWA Boeing 727 flying from Tel-Aviv to Rome was hijacked and forced to fly to Beirut. The plane carried many American and Israeli passengers, and one US Marine died, when the Delta Force stormed the plane.
On May 30, 1972, 26 people (including 2 terrorists) were killed and 80 injured in an attack by the Japanese Red Army in the passenger arrival area. The victims included Aharon Katzir, a prominent protein biophysicist, and a group of 20 Puerto Rican tourists who had just arrived in Israel
Airlines flying to Ben-Gurion International Airport include: