Kiryat Shmona Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Kiryat Shmona Airport
nativename =
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image-width = 200px
caption =
IATA = KWS
ICAO = LLKS
type = Public
owner = Disputed
operator =
city-served = Kiryat Shmona
location =
elevation-f = 376
elevation-m = 115
coordinates = coord|33|13|00.00|N|35|35|48.00|E|type:airport
website =
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 03/21
r1-length-f = 4,423
r1-length-m = 1348
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number =
r2-length-f =
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h1-length-m =
h1-surface =
h2-number =
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Kiryat Shmona Airport airport codes|KSW|LLKS is a public Israeli airport located 2 km east of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona.

Its history, based on lack of economic viability and local political differences, has seen various closures and reopenings.

Arkia handled domestic flights until end of 2003 [cite web
title = Tamir Company criticises the state: Mofaz and Siterman working illegally (in Hebrew)
work = Nfc.co.il, 15 March, 2007
url = http://www.nfc.co.il/Archive/001-D-120621-00.html?tag=22-02-28
accessmonthday = 5 April
accessyear = 2007 ] [cite web
title = Tel Aviv-Rosh Pina flights to be renewed (in English)
work = ynetnews, 17 January, 2006
url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3201577,00.html
accessmonthday = 17 January
accessyear = 2006 ] , when it closed down due to a lack of passenger traffic [cite web
title = News collection: From the North to the South (in Hebrew)
work = Yedioth Ahronoth, 12 March, 2007
url = http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3375023,00.html
accessmonthday = 5 April
accessyear = 2007 ] .

Now rights to fly a domestic route to and from the airport are held by Tamir Airways, [cite web
title = The Movement for Quality Government gets involved in the power struggle over the running of Kiryat Shmona airport (in Hebrew)
work = The Marker, 21 January, 2007
url = http://www.themarker.com/tmc/article.jhtml?log=tag&ElementId=zb20070121_98501
accessmonthday = 5 April
accessyear = 2007 ] while rights to operate the landing strip are owned by a separate company that is in a dispute with Tamir Airways.

In 2006, the new airport terminal was opened.

Tamir Airways announced that it would stop flying to Upper Galilee shortly before the Second Lebanon War broke out, but they changed their mind because they saw it as a "mission of national importance" [citeweb | url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/860734.html | title=Airline to stop flights to Galilee as of June 1 (2007)| accessdate=2007-05-19] . Nevertheless, they ceased their (twice a day) flights to Sde Dov Airport on June 1, 2007.

Currently, the airport operator and the mayor of Kiryat Shmona have yet to resolve the dispute and because of this the airport does not function. [cite web
title = Flights to the north stopped due to financial disagreements (in Hebrew)
work = Haaretz, 8 October, 2006
url = http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/771928.html?more=1
accessmonthday = 5 April
accessyear = 2007]

The next closest airport is Ben Ya'akov near Rosh Pina, 30 km south.

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Kiryat_Shemona_and_its_airport_in_the_backgroundImage:KiryatShmonaOldTerminal.jpg|Old_(previous)_terminal,_permanently_closedImage:KiryatShmonaRunway21.jpg|Runway_21_with_Naftali_hills_in_the_background

Footnotes