Israel to build new airport north of Red Sea port of Eilat

Jul 24, 2011, 12:48 GMT

Jerusalem - Israel's cabinet Sunday approved the construction of a new international airport, some 30 kilometres north of Eilat, the country's port on the Red Sea.

The airport is to replace Eilat's current small airport located in the centre of the tourist resort.

A cabinet statement said the new airport would 'promote the economic progress of the city by freeing up land for tourism, commerce and housing.'

The project is estimated to cost about 1.6 billion Israeli shekels, some 472 million US dollars, and is expected to take about three years to build.

The Israeli government wants the new airport to be named after Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, who was killed in the February 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster, and his son Assaf Ramon, who died six years later when his F-16 fighter jet crashed over the West Bank.

It is to be built in the desert, near the main road to Eilat from the north, serving as an alternative also for Ben-Gurion International Aiport outside Tel Aviv, Israel's main airport.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision to move Eilat's airport outside the city was part of a 'comprehensive plan' to develop the resort, which had been neglected for years.

'It will free up considerable land in Eilat, provide a solution for the expansion of Eilat and prevent noise and other pollution in the city. In other words, this is a very important decision,' Netanyahu said.

He added a railway to Eilat was also in the planning, and the road leading to the city would be widened.