The tender for building an international airport near Eilat will be published on May 1, 2005, according to an Israel Airports Authority plan delivered to Minister of Transport Meir Sheetrit yesterday.
The new airport will be built at Timna, 18 km north of Eilat, at a cost of $150-200 million. Part of the cost will be financed by selling the site of the old Eilat Airport, estimated to be worth $40 million.
The Timna airport runways will be over 3,000 meters long, sufficient for large jets able to reach any destination in northern Europe.
The Timna airport project will include widening Highway 90 (the Arava Highway) to four lanes as far as Eilat. When completed, travel time between Eilat and Timna will be ten minutes. A direct rail service link between Eilat and Timna is also planned.
Sheetrit is expected to announce his decision on the type of financing and the establishment of the new airport next month. He will decide whether the Airport Authority or a private contractor through the BOT (build, operate, transfer) method will build the Timna airport.
Under the plan submitted to Sheetrit, paving and construction work on the airport will begin in early 2006, in order to finish construction by the end of 2008.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on December 8, 2004