Ben Ya'akov Airport
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Rosh Pina Airport (, ) , sometimes called Mahanayim Airport due to its proximity to
Mahanayim Mahanayim () is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Korazim Plateau, around three kilometres northeast of Rosh Pinna, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The land on w ...
, is an Israeli airport located in
Rosh Pinna Rosh Pinna () or Rosh Pina, is a town in the Korazim Plateau in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'an in the Northern District of Israel. It was established as Gei Oni in 1878 by local Jews from Tzfat but was nearly abando ...
, near the Safed-Hatzor-Rosh Pina Industrial Park. The airport is located 16 km from
Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
, 29 km from
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...
and 30 km from
Kiryat Shmona Kiryat Shmona () is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanon, Lebanese border. In it had a population of . Located near the Blue Line (withdrawal line), Israel ...
.


History

The airport was built in 1943 during the
British Mandate for Palestine The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordanwhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesfollowing the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in Wo ...
and became RAF Station Machanaim. Using 400 mules and Indian soldiers, Major Ronald John Jarvis Horton laid the foundations. With his mules and wooden chariots, he then trekked overland to India and Burma where he fought the Japanese at
Kohima Kohima (; Tenyidie: Kewhira ()) is the capital of the North East Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The m ...
. Mahanayim served the British army against
Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
in
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
. After the British evacuation in 1948, the airport was transferred to Israel for use by the IAF. In the 1950s,
Arkia Israel Airlines Arkia (stylized as arkia), legally incorporated as Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd, is an Israeli airline. Its head office is on the grounds of Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is Israel's second-largest airline, operating scheduled domestic a ...
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. In 2008 the airport was closed temporarily for the testing of an
Elbit Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international military technology company and defense contractor. Founded in 1966 by Elron Electronic Industries, Elron, Elbit Systems is the primary provider of the Israeli military's land-based equipme ...
Systems unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).


Airlines and destinations

Since the closure of Tel Aviv-Sde Dov, which was the only destination served from Rosh Pina by
Ayit Aviation and Tourism Ayit Aviation and Tourism () is an Israeli domestic airline established in 1985 and reorganized in 2008. History Ayit flew between Sde Dov Airport, near Tel Aviv, and Ben Ya'akov Airport near Rosh Pinna. As part of its agreement to operate th ...
Ayit Airways, Air Service from Sde Dove to Rosh Pina
/ref> there are currently no more scheduled flights at the airport.


Statistics

Since the beginning of the century the airport saw decreasing number of passengers. 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. (For example, Egged bus №845, which as of July 2019 travels from Rosh Pina to Tel Aviv in about an hour and 45 minutes.) Most flights from Rosh Pina were to
Sde Dov Airport Sde Dov Airport (, ''lit.'' Dov Field, ), also known as Dov Hoz Airport (, ''Nemal HaTe'ufa Dov Hoz'', ) was an airport in Tel Aviv, Israel that mainly handled scheduled domestic flights to Eilat, northern Israel (Haifa, the Galilee, and the G ...
in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. However, Sde Dov closed in mid-2019, making travel by air from Tel Aviv to Rosh Pina even less convenient.


Accidents

* On 19 April 1974 two
Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is a family of American heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The Sea Stallion was originally developed in response to a request from the Unite ...
helicopters collided over the airport. One of the helicopters managed to land safely while the other helicopter crashed and caught fire. All 8 IDF soldiers on board died. * On 4 February 1997 two
Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is a family of American heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The Sea Stallion was originally developed in response to a request from the Unite ...
helicopters took off from the airport on their way towards the Israeli Security Zone in southern
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
. The helicopters collided over
She'ar Yashuv She'ar Yashuv () is a moshav in northern Israel. Located in the Upper Galilee in the northeastern Hula Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council. In it had a population of . The moshav came to public awarenes ...
in northern Israel and crashed, killing all 73 IDF soldiers on board (see
1997 Israeli helicopter disaster The 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster () occurred on February 4, 1997, when two Israeli Air Force transport helicopters ferrying Israeli soldiers into Israel's occupied zone in southern Lebanon collided in mid-air, killing all 73 Israeli military ...
).


References


External links


Rosh Pina Airport
{{authority control Airports in Israel