Israel's Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz presented the Economic Affairs Committee, headed by Prof. Avishay Braverman, Member of the Knesset, and chairman of the Committee with a proposal to build a second international airport in the Negev.
The airport, which is slated to be Israel's second biggest airfield, will be built in Nevatim and will handle overflow air traffic from Ben Gurion International Airport.
The need for a second international airport is brought up whenever Ben-Gurion Airport faces problems such as bad weather, flight-safety issues.
Another factor is the need to build more runways at Ben-Gurion because of Israel's steadily growing air traffic.
But such projects seriously damage the quality of life near the airport and present safety issues. Katz noted that a Transportation Ministry steering committee has been tasked with formulating the plan, adding that building an international airport in the Negev will propel the area's development, create employment opportunities and bring about an economical and social boom.
