The new airport will be situated 18km north of Eilat and handle domestic and European flights.

The Israeli government has sanctioned proposals for a new NIS1.7bn ($500m) international airport at Timna, 18km north of Eilat, according to local media reports and the Israeli government website.

The new airport, originally suggested by Israel transport minister Yisrael Katz, will handle domestic and European flights and be connected to Eilat via a new train line. It will also see the building of a new logistics centre, park-and-ride lot and bus station to replace the current Eilat central bus station.



Construction is set to take three years with planning to be finished in the next 12 months.DFNIonline understands that the airport will be financed and operated by the Israel Airports Authority and that the existing Eilat Ovda airport will close when the new facility is operational.

Israel PM Binyamin Netanyahu said at Sunday's cabinet assembly: "This airport will be an alternative to Ben-Gurion Airport and will free up considerable land in Eilat, provide a solution for the expansion of Eilat and prevent noise and other pollution in the city.”

According to Katz, the closure of the existing airport in Eilat will enable the improvement of the city and develop quality of life for residents.

Sakal Group-owned company Layam Co is the duty-free operator at the existing Eilat Ovda International airport after winning in 2007 a tender to keep on operating at the location, where it has been present for nearly 20 years.

A judged 1.5m passengers are calculated to use the new airport each year, just about 90% of the passengers on domestic flights, according to reports.