Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport

Haifa Airport
נמל התעופה חיפה‎
مطار حيفا
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
OperatorIsrael Airports Authority
ServesHaifa, Israel
LocationHaifa District, Israel
Hub forairHaifa
Elevation AMSL28 ft / 9 m
Coordinates32°48′34″N 35°02′35″E / 32.80944°N 35.04306°E / 32.80944; 35.04306
WebsiteIAA Haifa Airport
Map
HFA
HFA
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 4,324 1,318 Asphalt

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

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

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]

After the State of Israel Establishment

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

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

As of December 2025, airport operates scheduled flights to Eilat (Israel), Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece.

AirlinesDestinations
Air Haifa Athens,[15] Eilat,[11] Larnaca,[11] Paphos,[16] Sofia (begins 7 January 2026)[17]
Seasonal: Rhodes[18]

Ground transportation

Bus and Taxi

The airport is served by Egged bus line 100 connecting airport with Haifa Bay central bus station and HaMifratz Central railway station.[19]

Rail

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

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

Statistics for Haifa Airport
Year Total passengers Passenger change Total operations Operations change
1999 130,571  
2000 137,858 5.6%  
2001 120,301 12.7%  
2002 127,200 5.7% 20,587
2003 93,385 26.6% 16,978 17.5%
2004 70,831 24.2% 16,225 4.4%
2005 61,334 13.4% 13,082 19.4%
2006 52,388 14.6% 12,614 3.6%
2007 65,551 25.1% 13,531 7.3%
2008 64,809 1.1% 13,367 1.2%
2009 50,677 21.8% 8,714 34.8%
2010 83,131 64.0% 13,602 56.1%
2011 74,244 10.7% 12,067 11.3%
2012 78,033 5.1% 12,037 0.2%
2013 81,804 4.8% 15,969 32.7%
2014 102,578 25.4% 21,271 33.2%
2015 110,805 8.0% 18,197 14.5%
2016 119,113 7.5% 17,086 6.1%
2017[21] 140,222 17.7% 19,168 12.2%
2018[22] 87,552 37.6% 16,624 13.3%
2019[23] 92,695 5.9% 17,729 6.6%
2020[24] 77,963 15.9% 21,177 19.4%
2021[25] 80,337 3.0% 25,435 20.1%
2022[26] 69,677 13.3% 24,062 5.4%
2023[27] 61,333 12.0% 19,563 18.7%
2024[2] 26,641 56.7% 11,102 43.3%

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Itiel, Yoav (8 June 2025). "Duty Free to open at Haifa Airport. Here's what awaits you there | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "דין וחשבון שנת 2024" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  3. ^ Dahl, Roald (2024). Going Solo. London SW11 7BW: Penguin Random House UK. pp. 205–113. ISBN 978-0-241-67739-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ Norris, Jacob (11 April 2013). Land of Progress: Palestine in the Age of Colonial Development, 1905-1948. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199669363.
  5. ^ "Chapter 1 – from Flying Camels to Flying Stars: Israel Reborn (1917-1948) | Israel Airline Museum". 5 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Stations-H".
  7. ^ Lake, Alan (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  8. ^ "Haifa Airport to go international". Jerusalem Post. 21 December 1994. ProQuest 321160010.
  9. ^ "Haifa airport for sale. (Bouygues to bid on Haifa, Israel, airport)". Israel Business Today. 16 June 1995. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
  10. ^ "Shalom calls for NIS 800m. upgrade of Haifa airport". Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
  11. ^ a b c "עדכונים חשובים | אייר חיפה". airhaifa.com. airHaifa. Archived from the original on 19 June 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  12. ^ "'Air Haifa': New airline set to launch out of northern Israel". The Times of Israel. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  13. ^ Sharabi, Meital (19 August 2025). "90 years later: Duty-free finally arrives in Haifa | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Maariv. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  14. ^ "Israel Military Relinquishes Tel Aviv, Haifa Sites for Public Use". Haaretz.
  15. ^ "Air Haifa takes off for Athens". The Jerusalem Post. JPost.com. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  16. ^ קוטלר, עמית (24 March 2025). ""נסיבות שלא בשליטת החברה": אייר חיפה דוחה את פתיחת הקו מחיפה לפאפוס". פספורטניוז (in Hebrew). PassportNews. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  17. ^ קוטלר, עמית (1 December 2025). "לא יוון ולא קפריסין: החל מ-79$ לכיוון - זה היעד הבינלאומי החדש והמפתיע של אייר חיפה". פספורטניוז (in Hebrew). PassportNews. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  18. ^ Liu, Jim (10 June 2025). "airHaifa Adds Seasonal Rhodes Service From July 2025". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  19. ^ Zahavi, Mia (19 December 2024). "Fast shuttle line from the center of the bay to the Haifa airport - Egged's line 100 - Chai Poh - The News Corporation of Haifa and the surrounding area". חי פֹּה - תאגיד החדשות של חיפה והסביבה. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Transportation and Parking". IAA Haifa Airport. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  21. ^ "דין וחשבון שנתי 2017" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  22. ^ "דין וחשבון שנתי 2018" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  23. ^ "דין וחשבון שנתי 2019" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority.
  24. ^ "דין וחשבון שנתי 2020" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority.
  25. ^ "דין וחשבון לשנת 2021" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  26. ^ "דין וחשבון לשנת 2022" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  27. ^ "דין וחשבון לשנת 2023" (PDF). Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved 10 August 2025.

Bibliography

  • 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. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.

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