ɪt wʌz bˈɪlt æz ɐ ɹˈʌf ɹˈʌnweɪ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛvən fɚðə ʃˈɛɹʌt ˈævɪɹ, ðɪ ˈɛɹ wˈɪŋ ʌvðə hˈæɡænə, ænd wʌz nˈeɪmd mælhˈɑːɾə ˈæftɚ ðɪ ˌɑːɹkiːəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl sˈaɪt ˌɔn wˌɪtʃ ɪt wʌz pˈɑːɹtli bˈɪlt.
It was built as a rough runway in 1947 for the Sherut Avir, the air wing of the Haganah, and was named Malhata after the archaeological site on which it was partly built.