The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) announced that the winner of the tender to construct the Ramon Airport 30,000 square meter passenger terminal at Timna in the Negev, was Danya Cebus Ltd. a unit of Africa-Israel Investments Ltd.

The new terminal at the Ilan and Assaf Ramon International Airport in Timna will cater for more than two million passengers annually, and will have spacious arrivals and departures halls for international and domestic flights, and duty free shops.

The Ilan and Assaf Ramon Airport in Timna, also known as Timna Airport, is an international airport which will replace the Eilat and Ovda airports. Timna Airport will be used as an additional international airport for both domestic and international flights. It is being built at an estimated cost of NIS 1.7 billion.
 

Timna Airport is a unique national project, being the first airport to be built in Israel from start to finish, and it is destined to become the country's southern aerial gateway. The new airport is located 19km north of Eilat, and will regroup and control the activity of the two present southern airports of Eilat and Ovda. The airport features a 3,600-meter runway suitable for the traffic of large commercial jets destined for and arriving from anywhere in Europe.

The control tower is 45m high, in accordance with the most recent international standards. There will be 9 parking spaces for turboprop planes and 7 parking spaces for mid-sized and jumbo jets. Operational and support areas will be established in the airport in an extensive single-level terminal which will be able to handle as many as 1.8 million passengers per year, providing high quality services throughout the 28,000 square meter area.

In addition, duty free shops and a new power and infrastructure center for the management of the roadways and parking spaces are also being planned.
 

The deadline set by the IAA for the completion of the project is the end of 2016. Test runs, authorization and operation periods are to commence by mid-2017.