Herzliya Airport ( he, שְׂדֵה הַתְּעוּפָה הֶרְצְלִיָּה ar, مطار هرتسيليا, is an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

located in the city of

Herzliya Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it h ...

in central

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The airport is mainly used by

flight school Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

s and for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

. It has no terminal.

History

During the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

, a makeshift strip located around the current airfield, was the main operating base of the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

's 101 "First Fighter" Squadron between June and October 1948, and the squadron moved to it after un-assembled planes were strafed on the ground on May 30. The airfield was used as it was a bit back from the front-lines, and was clandestine since it was a purpose built strip, that was constructed after the beginning of hostilities, in between the orange orchards around Herzliya, and didn't appear on published maps. During these initial operations, the squadron operated with a few planes versus almost complete Arab theater

Air supremacy Aerial supremacy (also air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of com ...

and the airplanes were parked dispersed between the orange trees. The squadron was moved in October to

Hatzor Airbase Hatzor Israeli Air Force Base ( he, בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר חָצוֹר) , also titled Kanaf 4 (''lit.'' Wing 4) is an Israeli Air Force military air base, located in central Israel near kibbutz Hatzor after which it is named. ...

from the strip in due to its unsuitability in rainy conditions, probable loss of clandestine status, moving front lines which made former British bases safe for use, and a shift in the balance of

air superiority Aerial supremacy (also air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of c ...

towards the Israelis. In early 2008, a new safety system was installed at the airfield. Plans by the

Israel Airports Authority The Israel Airports Authority (IAA, he, רשות שדות התעופה בישראל, ''Reshut Sdot HaTe'ufa BeYisra'el''; ar, سلطة المطارات في إسرائيل) was founded in 1977 as a Government-owned corporation, public corporatio ...

and civil aviation managers to expand the airfield southward by 100

dunams A dunam (Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish, Arabic language, Arabic: ; tr, dönüm; he, דונם), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman units of measurement, Ottoman unit of area eq ...

(10

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ab ...

) were rejected. Conversely, former Herzliya Mayor

Yael German Yael German ( he, יעל גרמן, born 4 August 1947) is an Israeli politician and diplomat who served as a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid and the Blue and White alliance between 2013 and 2020. She was Minister of Health between 2013 and ...

advocated for a complete shut-down of the airport, arguing that its use endangers the local residents. She proposed the land be redeveloped to accommodate the city's growing demand for residential space. The airport was slated to be closed down in April 2015, but was given a six-month extension. It was reported that

Haifa Airport Haifa Airport ( he, נְמַל הַתְּעוּפָה חֵיפָה, ''Namal HaTe'ufa Haifa''; ar, مطار حيفا) , also known as U Michaeli Airport is a small international airport located in Haifa, Israel. It is located to the east of the ...

was proposed to replace Herzliya Airport, and Herzliya was thus designated a temporary landing strip until a conclusive government decision is made. In December 2015, it was announced that the airport would make way for new residential and industrial space.

References

External links

Herzliya Airport
{{authority control Airports in Israel Herzliya Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv District