New Airport in Eilat is Inaugurated

Israel has inaugurated its new international airport near the city of Eilat, as reported by NoCamels.

The airport’s goal is to provide an alternative to the main airport in times of conflict and boost tourism in the winter months to southern Israel.

The airport is located in Timna and it is called the Ilan and Asaf Ramon Airport, named after Israel’s first astronaut and his son. Ilan was killed in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 200 and his son Asaf was an F-16 pilot who died in a training accident in 2009.

The airport’s cost is estimated to be of about NIS 1.7 billion ($455 million). Designed to welcome up to 2 million passengers per year upon opening and later expand to 4.5 million passengers annually.