The Southern District Planning Committee announced last week that it approved the building of Eilat's new airport, expected to cost over $200 million.
The airport which will serve some 2 millions passengers a year, will be constructed 19 kilometers north of the Eilat, near Timna.
The Southern District Planning Committee noted that the airport location will be between the Israel – Jordanian international border and highway 90.
The current airport, located in the city center will, once the new facility is open, cease operations and be converted for commercial use.
A target date for completion of the new facility has yet to be given. The first stage will be large enough to handle 500 thousands international passengers and 1.75 million domestic passengers. Once the facility is completed, the passenger terminal will be 50,000 square meters, some 15,000 sq.m. larger than Ben-Gurion Airport’s Terminal 1.
According to current plans outlined by the Southern District Planning Committee , the facility will encompass 5,500 dunams (1,375 acres), including a 3,600-meter runway allowing for international and domestic flights. On the ground, there will be parking facilities for 32 passenger planes and 40 general aviation aircraft.
In addition to thedecision made by the Southern District Planning Committee, the National Planning and Building Council proposed last week the establishing a new international airport in the Negev, either at Nevatim between the city of Arad and the Shoket intersection or at Ziklag, between the Beit Kama intersection and Netivot.
Both propsed sites, which were chosen from an original list of 22 possible locations, have been submitted to the relevant regional councils for comments.
