By David Dolan
DDolan.com
The southern Israeli port city of Eilat has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in recent decades. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the area every year, mainly from Europe, most of them coming during the warm winter months.
The port city sits on the northern tip of the Red Sea, whose waters remain temperate throughout the year. Some visitors cross from Eilat into the nearby Jordanian port city of Akaba, while others head west into the Egyptian ruled Sinai Peninsula.
Due to the tourism influx, the small international airport that serves the area has become completely outdated. Therefore the Israeli government has decided to construct a new airport that is expected to cost around five hundred million dollars. The new airport will take three years to build, and will be located several miles north of the current site, freeing up the airport’s land closer to Eilat for commercial and residential development.
Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said the new airport’s runways will be big enough to receive jumbo jets from Europe and elsewhere. Currently only Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv is equipped for such aircraft.
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