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 Golan Heights), as well as having served as a base for the Israeli Air Force (IAF). It was the largest airport in Tel Aviv proper, and the second largest in the area, after Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of Lod. The airport opened in 1938 and was named after Dov Hoz, one of the pioneers of Jewish aviation. It ceased operations on 30 June 2019 after a controversial, long-delayed plan came into effect to close the airport in order to build high-end residential apartments on its valuable beachfront property. Commercial flights were moved to Ben Gurion Airport and military flights were moved to other IAF bases. The airport was a focus city for Arkia Israel Airlines and Israir Airlines.

History

Early history

In 1937, the mayor of Tel Aviv, Israel Rokach, asked the British mandate authorities for permission to create an airport in Palestine, promising to solve the transportation problem of Jews during the Arab revolt of 1936–1939 when travelling from Tel Aviv through Arab territory to the main airport at Lydda, to catch Palestine Airways flights to Haifa, was difficult and dangerous. Works began on a plot of land north of the Yarkon River, Tel Aviv, and when completed in October 1938, the airport served regular flights to Haifa, with the option of flights to Beirut. In 1940, the airport's name was changed to Sde Dov in memory of Dov Hoz, one of the pioneers of Jewish aviation. Sde Dov was abandoned after Palestine Airways ceased operations in August 1940, and the site was used as a British Army base until December 1947 when with British permission the runway was reopened by the Haganah.

In the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the airport served as a base of the Israeli Air Force. It was a central base, home to 21 aircraft at the time. The first military flight was made in December 1947, when Pinchas Ben Porat flew an RWD-13 to Beit Eshel to rescue an injured soldier.

After the war

thumb|upright| Sde Dov Airport Chart|left

thumb|left|An Arkia ATR-72-500 on final approach at Sde Dov

Following the 1948 war, the Arab orchards to the east of Tel Aviv were opened for development, and the military started using the Sde Dov airport on a regular basis. The airport regained its commercial operations, initially serving domestic flights, mostly to single customers, on Piper Cub aircraft. It later expanded operations to scheduled service on larger aircraft to various parts of Israel. As a result of the land availability, an additional, north–south, runway was built with no opposition. By 1960, land in Tel Aviv became scarce, and the municipality demanded that the airport be relocated northward, so as to allow residential development in its place. However, a committee that investigated the options for such a relocation in 1961 found no feasible site in proximity to Tel Aviv and suggested that flights be moved to Lod airport (now known as Ben Gurion Airport), and that road access from Tel Aviv to Lod be improved. This option, however, was blocked by the Israel Defense Forces.

{| class="infobox"

|-

|

{| class=sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"

|+ Statistics for Sde Dov Airport<br />(not including Air Force traffic)

|- bgcolor=#6495ED

! Year !! Total Passengers !! Total operations

|-

! 2000

| 831,748 || 37,489

|-

! 2001

| 879,922 || 38,884

|-

! 2002

| 808,774 || 38,624

|-

! 2003

| 757,817 || 37,674

|-

! 2004

| 666,879 || 35,716

|-

! 2005

| 662,951 || 34,687

|-

! 2006

| 628,888 || 31,958

|-

! 2007

| 703,649 || 36,427

|-

! 2008

| 646,789 || 34,688

|-

! 2009

| 661,830 || 31,886

|-

! 2010

| 655,772 || 32,990

|-

! 2011

| 658,741 || 31,821

|-

! 2012

| 735,887 || 26,793

|}

|}

The issue remained unresolved until late 2006 when it was announced that the airport would be vacated to make way for residential redevelopment. The plan to close the airport was strongly opposed by the Tel Aviv and Eilat municipalities, and its implementation was postponed numerous times until the airport finally closed on 30 June 2019. Per plans approved in 2020, the site is to become host to 16,000 housing units, 35 high rise office towers and of hotels. As the former Eilat Airport also shut down in 2019, Israel has the opportunity to redevelop two centrally located former airport sites in growing cities going into the 2020s. Criticizing the plans for redevelopment as overly focused on luxury apartments, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz called the planned housing "premium homes that only Israel's landed gentry can buy".

Airlines and destinations

As of July 2019, the airport no longer serves any traffic. Prior to its closure, both Arkia and Israir Airlines operated scheduled services out of the airport. The airport primarily served domestic flights to Haifa Airport and Eilat Airport.

See also

  • Meigs Field – an airport near downtown Chicago whose closure was likewise controversial
  • Eilat Airport – closed the same year as Sde Dov for similar reasons

References

  • Sde Dov Airport
  • Aerial view of Dov Hoz Airport
  • History of Sde Dov Airport
  • Official website