(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Following months of renovations, Terminal 1 at Ben-Gurion International Airport has reopened for low-cost airlines. As part of the deal, these carriers will pay half the parking fee paid by carriers using Terminal 3.

The terminal will now accommodate security inspection and check-in and therefore, low-cost travelers will no longer have to use Terminal 3 as in the past. According to Transportation Ministry officials, some 1.4 million departing passengers are expected to pass through annually. All arriving passengers will be brought to Terminal 3.

Renovations of the once ‘main terminal’ at Ben-Gurion International Airport included a 60 million shekel HBS baggage screening security system. Stands have been set in place to accommodate scanning biometric passports, carry-on luggage inspection stations enlarged, and nine gates will be operational to accommodate departures. There is also duty-free shopping, a must for traveling Israelis.

Airlines that will be operating out of Terminal 1 include: Arkia, Blue Bird Airways,

easyJet, El Al, Israir, Pegasus, Ryanair, and Wizz Air. Thirty-three flights daily will depart from the airport.

Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz said, “When I became Minister of Transportation in 2009, there were 9 million passengers and today, we are taking about 20 million travelers in 2018.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)