Israel Airports Authority published the Ramon International airport tender

The airport will be located in Timna, 19 kilometers north of Eilat, and would cost NIS19 billion
 
The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) published the long awaited tender to select the engineering company that will manage construction of the new Ramon International Airport in Timna, 19 kilometers north of Eilat, a year after the cabinet decided to build the project.
 
The NIS 1.7 billion project of the second international airport in Israel will take three years to build. The Ramon International Airport in Timna is expected to spark a 300% increase in tourism to southern Israel with an anticipated 1.5m travelers arriving on both international and domestic flights each year.
 
The international airport will be named after the late Ilan and Asaf Ramon. Ilan Ramon was the Israeli astronaut killed in the crash of the Columbia space shuttle in 2003; his son, Asaf, a fighter pilot, was killed in an Israel Air Force training accident in 2009.
 
The winning company will be responsible for the planning, construction, and oversight of the airport. The Timna Airport will replace Eilat's current airport, and will serve as an alternative international airport during emergencies.
 
The new international airport will enable the existing airport, located within the city of Eilat, to be redeveloped into homes, businesses, and tourism, and will also enable larger numbers of flights from international destinations, and larger aircraft which are currently prohibited from landing in Eilat by the length of the runway there.
 
The cabinet decided that the IAA will be responsible for financing the project, and will have the right to seek outside financing for part of the cost.
 
The IAA will have the right to reach a deal with the Israel Land Authority for part of the proceeds of the sale of land at the current Eilat Airport. The Ramon Airport will have a 3,500-meter runway, state-of-the-art control tower, and spacious terminal, able to handle mid-sized and wide-bodied airliners. In addition to the airport, a light rail will be established to connect the airport to Eilat, and the central bus station currently in Eilat will also be moved to Timna.