The Israeli government gave the green light on Sunday for the construction of a new international airport in the Negev desert, a decision announced by the Prime Minister’s Office
The project envisions the airport being built at the Ziklag archaeological site, about 27 kilometers northwest of Beersheba, between the cities of Netivot and Rahat, in the northern Negev region.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the initiative as a powerful engine of development for the south of the country.
According to him, the airport will boost job creation, improve access to the region, attract more tourists, and stimulate investment in complementary infrastructure, such as new roads, railway lines, and industries related to the aviation sector.
Netanyahu thanked Transport Minister Miri Regev, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Almog Cohen, former deputy cabinet secretary, for their joint efforts that led to the approval.
He ordered the project to move forward as quickly as possible.
This measure is part of a larger plan to expand Israel’s air capacity and reduce overcrowding at Ben-Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, which currently handles millions of passengers annually-in 2019, for example, it registered 24 million travelers, including more than 4.5 million tourists.
The new airport in the south will be approximately 88 kilometers from Ben-Gurion, offering an alternative for international and domestic flights, meeting the growing demand for tourism and travel.
At the same time, the government approved the advancement of plans for an airport in the north, in the Jezreel Valley, near the Ramat David air base.
Netanyahu emphasized that the two projects-one in the south and the other in the north-will be developed in parallel, functioning as huge engines of economic growth for the entire country.
The idea is to alleviate congestion at Ben-Gurion and prepare the infrastructure for the expected increase in air traffic in the coming years.
This approval concludes years of discussions and debates about the ideal location for a supplementary airport, marking an important step toward balancing development between central and peripheral Israel, with a special focus on the Negev, a historically less connected region.
Published in 02/16/2026 00h39
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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