Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport
Haifa Airport נמל התעופה חיפה مطار حيفا | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Israel Airports Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | Haifa, Israel | ||||||||||
| Location | Haifa District, Israel | ||||||||||
| Hub for | airHaifa | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 28 ft / 9 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | ||||||||||
| Website | IAA Haifa Airport | ||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Haifa Airport (Hebrew: נְמַל הַתְּעוּפָה חֵיפָה, Namal HaTe'ufa Haifa; Arabic: مطار حيفا) (IATA: HFA, ICAO: LLHA), also known as Uri Michaeli Airport, is an international airport in Haifa, Israel. It is Israel's oldest international airport[1] and the third-busiest (in terms of passenger traffic).[2] Airport located to the east of the city, close to Port of Haifa and Israel Shipyards, it serves scheduled and charter flights as well as general aviation, with some military usage. The airport is named after Uri Michaeli, one of the pioneers of Jewish aviation and one of the founders of aviation in Israel. The airport has one short runway, 1,318 metres (4,324 ft) in length, and there are plans to extend it by 316 metres (1,037 ft).
History
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Haifa Airport was established by the British Mandate in 1934 as its first international airport at the location of RAF Haifa, which originally served the British Army.[3] RAF Haifa already had passenger service by Imperial Airways to Alexandria (since 1931) and Baghdad (since 1932).[4] In 1936 passenger services by Misr Airwork to Beirut and Cyprus were opened. In 1937, these were joined by Palestine Airways services, as well as Ala Littoria regular services to Brindisi and Trieste via Athens.[5] In 1938 a third of the flights into Mandatory Palestine landed in Haifa; but in 1940, civil flights were stopped due to the Second World War in which the airport served the Royal Air Force's operations in the Middle East as RAF Haifa. The RAF station closed in 1948, and the airport re-opened as Haifa Airport.
British Mandate period
[edit | edit source]Royal Air Force Haifa was a station in Mandatory Palestine between 1918 and 1948.[6]
List of operational units at RAF Haifa 1938 to 1948[7]
- No. 6 Squadron RAF detachment (1938–1939) Hawker Hardy
- No. 30 Squadron RAF detachment (1940) Bristol Blenheim
- No. 80 Squadron RAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
- No. 112 Squadron RAF detachment (1941) Curtiss Tomahawk I
- No. 142 Squadron RAF detachment (1918) Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
- No. 144 Squadron RAF detachment (1919) de Havilland DH.9
- No. 208 Squadron RAF detachment (1941) Hawker Audax
- No. 213 Squadron RAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
- No. 260 Squadron RAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
- No. 261 Squadron RAF (1942) Hawker Hurricane I
- No. 450 Squadron RAAF (1941) Hawker Hurricane I
- No. 651 Squadron RAF (1948) Auster AOP6
The airport reopened for passenger traffic in 1948 with flights operated by Cyprus Airways. This was followed ten years later by Arkia Israel Airlines flights. It was not until 1994, however, that the airport received international status, and at this time, it was planned that the airport would serve flights to destinations across Europe.[8] Less than a year later, the airport was placed for sale. At this time, great interest in the site was shown by the French construction group, Bouygues, as well as British Aerospace.[9]
In 1998, a new terminal was opened.
In 2001, talks over the airport expanding restarted when then Finance Minister, Silvan Shalom called for an 800 million NIS upgrade to turn the airport into one of an international standard.[10]
Since December 2024 the newly established Israeli airline airHaifa, based at Haifa Airport, operates flights to several domestic and international destinations over the Eastern Mediterranean.[11] Further flights to other East Mediterranean destinations are also expected soon.[12]
On 19 August 2025 Haifa Airport’s first-ever 200 m2 duty-free store was opened. The store opened in a ceremony with Sharon Kedmi, CEO of the Israel Airports Authority, and the co-CEOs of LAYAM — the Teddy Sagi Group company that will operate the store.[13]
Future
[edit | edit source]The Israel Airports Authority intends to extend the runway to 1,634 m (5,361 ft) sometime in the 2020s.[14] This will involve extending the runway northwards, across Julius Simon Road, which will then pass in a tunnel underneath the runway.
Airlines and destinations
[edit | edit source]As of December 2025, airport operates scheduled flights to Eilat (Israel), Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Haifa | Athens,[15] Eilat,[11] Larnaca,[11] Paphos,[16] Sofia (begins 7 January 2026)[17] Seasonal: Rhodes[18] |
Ground transportation
[edit | edit source]Bus and Taxi
[edit | edit source]The airport is served by Egged bus line 100 connecting airport with Haifa Bay central bus station and HaMifratz Central railway station.[19]
Rail
[edit | edit source]The closest train stations are HaMifratz Central railway station, Hutzot HaMifratz, and Kiryat Haim.
Bus line 100 (operated by Egged) connects airport with HaMifratz Central railway station.
Car
[edit | edit source]The airport is located close to Highway 4 (Haifa – Tel Aviv highway) and highway 22.
A fenced parking lot is available in front of the building, with about 100 parking spaces. Parking is free of charge. Vehicles may be parked on a temporary basis for a few days. Baggage carts are available in the parking lots, free of charge.[20]
Statistics
[edit | edit source]| Year | Total passengers | Passenger change | Total operations | Operations change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 130,571 | Steady | Steady | |
| 2000 | 137,858 | Increase5.6% | Steady | |
| 2001 | 120,301 | Decrease12.7% | Steady | |
| 2002 | 127,200 | Increase5.7% | 20,587 | Steady |
| 2003 | 93,385 | Decrease26.6% | 16,978 | Decrease17.5% |
| 2004 | 70,831 | Decrease24.2% | 16,225 | Decrease4.4% |
| 2005 | 61,334 | Decrease13.4% | 13,082 | Decrease19.4% |
| 2006 | 52,388 | Decrease14.6% | 12,614 | Decrease3.6% |
| 2007 | 65,551 | Increase25.1% | 13,531 | Increase7.3% |
| 2008 | 64,809 | Decrease1.1% | 13,367 | Decrease1.2% |
| 2009 | 50,677 | Decrease21.8% | 8,714 | Decrease34.8% |
| 2010 | 83,131 | Increase64.0% | 13,602 | Increase56.1% |
| 2011 | 74,244 | Decrease10.7% | 12,067 | Decrease11.3% |
| 2012 | 78,033 | Increase5.1% | 12,037 | Decrease0.2% |
| 2013 | 81,804 | Increase4.8% | 15,969 | Increase32.7% |
| 2014 | 102,578 | Increase25.4% | 21,271 | Increase33.2% |
| 2015 | 110,805 | Increase8.0% | 18,197 | Decrease14.5% |
| 2016 | 119,113 | Increase7.5% | 17,086 | Decrease6.1% |
| 2017[21] | 140,222 | Increase17.7% | 19,168 | Increase12.2% |
| 2018[22] | 87,552 | Decrease37.6% | 16,624 | Decrease13.3% |
| 2019[23] | 92,695 | Increase5.9% | 17,729 | Increase6.6% |
| 2020[24] | 77,963 | Decrease15.9% | 21,177 | Increase19.4% |
| 2021[25] | 80,337 | Increase3.0% | 25,435 | Increase20.1% |
| 2022[26] | 69,677 | Decrease13.3% | 24,062 | Decrease5.4% |
| 2023[27] | 61,333 | Decrease12.0% | 19,563 | Decrease18.7% |
| 2024[2] | 26,641 | Decrease56.7% | 11,102 | Decrease43.3% |
See also
[edit | edit source]- List of former Royal Air Force stations
- Transportation in Israel
- List of the busiest airports in the Middle East
References
[edit | edit source]Citations
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Bibliography
[edit | edit source]- Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
External links
[edit | edit source]Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in Arabic, English, and Hebrew)
- Accident history for HFA at Aviation Safety Network
- Haifa Airport aviation weather (in Spanish, English, French, and Chinese)
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