Rest in Israel on the coast of the Red Sea is very popular among tourists, especially the famous resort of Eilat . The travelers who decided to go to him, the question is, what is the most convenient way to get to this place? You can fly through the air, with the final point will be Eilat Airport.
Eilat Airport (Israel) and its features
At the moment, flights are made through the old airport of Eilat ( Israel ), which is called Ovda (or in another way Uvda). It ranks second in size and popularity after the famous Ben Gurion Airport . The name "Ovda" was given in honor of the operation, during which the southern territory of the country (in particular the Eilat region) was liberated, which served as the end of the war for independence.
At one time it was erected in 1949 as a fairly powerful structure, since it was intended for military needs, so military aircraft can land on its territory. Later, its functionality expanded, and the airport began to accept civil aircraft. In 1975 the first international air transportation was carried out, the plane of the Danish airline Sterling Airlines arrived at the airport, and in the 1980s regular flights to Europe began to depart.
Ovda is mainly served by local air travel, to cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa. At the same time, Eilat is an international airport, but only certain planes can land on it. This is due to the fact that its runway has a relatively small length, which reaches only 1,900 m.
The airport has a very interesting location - next to it passes the Arava road at number 90, where you can reach the area in which the hotels are located.
Advantages of Ovdu Airport
The operating airport Ovdu meets the latest modern requirements and has the following advantages:
- the staff provides top-level service;
- the possibility of obtaining all the necessary information directly in the airport hall: for example, about the weather, about the addresses of hotels and others;
- Car rental service;
- location near the Arava highway, which makes further travel from the airport as convenient as possible;
- security in the airport paid special attention to
- availability of a large electronic arrival and departure board;
- the airport is located in a very picturesque place, from which a truly stunning view opens.
New Eilat Airport
However, there was a need to build a new airport in Eilat, which will be located closer to residential areas and hotels. The construction of the airport began in July 2011. It is planned that he will be Tima's will, the distance to Eilat will be 20 km. After its opening, Ovdu is scheduled to stop working.
The advantages of the new airport in comparison with the old one can be attributed the following:
- a long runway that will allow to take international aircraft at a new level, its length should be 3600 m;
- possibility to serve up to 1.8 million passengers a year;
- will reduce the time spent on moving to hotels, it will be about a quarter of an hour;
- installation of equipment that will correspond to the latest technology;
- the airport will have a vast territory: there are 29 parking spaces, parking lots for 600 parking spaces, duty-free shops;
- The presence of a dispatch tower 50 meters high;
- passenger terminal, for which a special design is developed, it is assumed that the interior is finished with such materials as bamboo and aluminum;
- transport connection between the airport in Timna and Eilat is planned to be carried out also with the help of highway Arava No. 90, but the journey time will not take more than 10 minutes;
- the territory of the old Ovdu Airport will be allocated for development, in particular, its re-equipment will allow to connect residential areas with the areas in which the hotels are located.
In connection with these events, travelers have such a question when they plan to visit Eilat : which airport is operational at the moment and whether the opening of a new airport in Timna? To date, Ovda continues to perform its functions, it is projected that the completion of construction works will take place in late 2017 - early 2018.