A new multi-level terminal and “air-train” service will greet travelers landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after November 1. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to formally dedicate the new huge structure Thursday afternoon.
Once called Project 2000 but now four years late, “Terminal 3” will require outgoing passengers to arrive at the terminal at least three hours before departure time. Travel agents have warned customers that the airport no longer will tolerate latecomers and that those who come late in order to avoid waiting in line will find themselves waiting for the next plane instead.
Travelers no longer will use the customary Terminal One, which is to be only used for internal flights. The new terminal and runways cover 425 acres and boasts the country’s largest shopping mall, in terms of area. A moving path will enable travelers to avoid walking several hundred yards from the ticket counter to the departure gates.
Israel Railways last month opened a new line enabling travelers to ride from the terminal to the Tel Aviv train station in 10 minutes. Trains will run once or twice an hour 19 hours a day, and escalators will take passengers from the train platform to the terminal. A new line to the city of Modi’in, a city between the airport and Jerusalem, is to open in two years. A new rail service to Jerusalem is under construction.