New airports, including a second international terminal near the Red Sea resort of Eilat, will open in Israel. because of tourism boom, Interfax reports, citing the local newspaper Haaretz.
A record 3.6 million tourists visited Israel in 2017. Foreign tourists, including more than 397,000 Russians, increased by 401,000. According to the publication, the country's main airport, Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, is already operating at capacity, with temporary shelters even being erected.
"A second international airport, Ilan & Asaf Ramon Airport, near the resort of Eilat is preparing to open this year. It will be safe from missiles should the military situation escalate. However, its capacity will only be one-seventh that of Ben Gurion Airport," Haaretz reports.
Israeli authorities also plan to adapt the air base for civilian use. The new airport will serve as a backup during wartime and in case of bad weather.
As the publication notes, in 2014, most foreign carriers temporarily refused to fly to Ben Gurion Airport due to shelling from Palestine, which negatively impacted tourism.
Source: trn-news.ru
