Palestine's Airports: A Comprehensive Overview

Palestine has two airports, but Palestinians are not allowed to use Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport without a special permit. The other airport is Qalandiya Airport, also known as Jerusalem Airport, which is located within the 1967 borders. Palestinians have demanded that Israel reopen Qalandiya Airport, which was Palestine's first airport.

There are two airports in Palestine

Palestinians have demanded that Israel reopen Qalandiya Airport, otherwise known as Jerusalem Airport. Qalandiya Airport was Palestine's first airport, but not the only one. Before the partition of Palestine in 1947, the British mandate authorities saw Palestine as a hub for commercial and military routes and invested in building infrastructure to fulfil that vision.

Israel's KAN public broadcaster reported that Israeli authorities were considering opening the Ramon Airport in the Negev, 137 miles south of Gaza, for Palestinian travellers. Implementing the plan would be preconditioned on “political calm” and the Palestinian Authority’s withdrawal of lawsuits against Israel at the ICC.

Despite the existence of two airports in Palestine, the concept of an airport is not alien to the country. Three small Palestinian aircraft are still working in one of the local airports in Egypt.

Palestinians are not allowed to use Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport without a special permit

Palestine does not have any operating airports in its territory. The Yasser Arafat Airport was destroyed, and there are no civilian airports within the West Bank. The nearest major airport is Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, but Palestinians are not allowed to use it without a special permit. This restriction applies even to those with dual citizenship. The Israeli authorities have considered opening the Ramon Airport in the Negev, 137 miles south of Gaza, for Palestinian travellers. However, the Palestinian Authority has rejected this plan as a "unilateral act" that emphasises racial segregation.

Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Ben Gurion Airport. This includes Palestinian-Americans, who do not have wider travel rights in Israel. The BMC permit is a special document intended to ease international travel and trans-Green Line commerce for around 3,500 Palestinian businesspeople. Palestinians are told not to apply for a permit until about a week before their flight, adding stress to their travel plans.

Qalandiya Airport was Palestine's first airport

There are two airports in Palestine. Qalandiya Airport, also known as Jerusalem Airport, was Palestine's first airport. It was built by the British before the partition of Palestine in 1947 and was located within the 1967 borders.

At the Camp David summit in 2000, the Palestinian envoy rejected Israeli maps that included Qalandiya Airport within the boundaries of the Jerusalem Municipality. The Palestinian Authority has demanded that Israel reopen Qalandiya Airport.

Palestinians are not allowed to use Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport without a special permit. This has led to calls for an airport to serve the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza, which could reduce restrictions and provide Palestinians with a sense of normality and dignity.

Israel's KAN public broadcaster reported that Israeli authorities were considering opening the Ramon Airport in the Negev, 137 miles south of Gaza, for Palestinian travellers. However, this plan was rebuffed by the Palestinian Authority as a "unilateral act" that emphasises racial segregation.

Ramon Airport in the Negev could be opened for Palestinian travellers

Palestine has not had an operating airport in its territory since 2000. The Yasser Arafat Airport was destroyed, but three small Palestinian airlines still operate out of a local airport in Egypt. There are no civilian airports within the West Bank, and the nearest major airport is Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion. Palestinians are not allowed to use this airport without a special permit.

The prospect of an airport serving the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza could reduce restrictions and provide Palestinians with a sense of normality and dignity. Palestine's first airport, Qalandiya Airport, was taken over by Zionist forces in 1948 and renamed Lod Airport.

Israel's KAN public broadcaster recently reported that Israeli authorities were considering opening the Ramon Airport in the Negev, 137 miles south of Gaza, for Palestinian travellers. This plan would be dependent on “political calm” and the Palestinian Authority’s withdrawal of lawsuits against Israel at the ICC. Israel would provide a “safe passage” and flights for West Bank Palestinians from the airport, meaning they would not need to cross into Jordan to fly overseas.

The Palestinian Authority has rejected this plan as a “unilateral act” that emphasises racial segregation, demanding that Israel reopen Qalandiya Airport instead. They argue that Qalandiya Airport, located within the 1967 borders, is historically Palestinian. At the Camp David summit in 2000, the Palestinian envoy rejected Israeli maps that included the airport within the boundaries of the Jerusalem Municipality.

The Palestinian Authority demanded that Israel reopen Qalandiya Airport

Palestine does not have any operating airports in its territory. However, there are three small Palestinian airlines that operate out of a local airport in Egypt.

Qalandiya Airport, also known as Jerusalem Airport, was Palestine's first airport. It was built by the British before the partition of Palestine in 1947. The Palestinian Authority has demanded that Israel reopen Qalandiya Airport, calling Israel's plan to open the Ramon Airport in the Negev desert a "unilateral act" that emphasises racial segregation. The Palestinian Authority's demand is based on the fact that Qalandiya Airport is historically Palestinian and located within the 1967 borders.

Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has called on Israel to reopen Jerusalem Airport in the Qalandiya area, stating that this would remove obstacles to the movement of individuals and goods to and from Palestine. Musa Rahal, the spokesperson for the Palestinian ministry of transport, communications, and civil aviation, has also demanded the reopening of Jerusalem Airport, pointing out that Israel is still refusing to hand over Qalandiya Airport and condemning its continued illegal settlement expansion around the facility's land.

The Palestinian Authority's demand to reopen Qalandiya Airport is part of a broader context of Palestine's airports and their past, present, and future. Palestine's airports, once gateways to the world, now stand as ruins of disused and bombed-out symbols of Palestine's hopes for freedom from Israeli occupation. The prospect of an airport serving the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza could provide Palestinians with a semblance of normality and dignity.

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