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At a conference on aviation matters held in Herzliya, Minister of Transport Katz said that the alternative to establishing a joint airport between Israel and Jordan in Aqaba, as has been suggested in the past and which is impractical today; is the speedy construction of a new airport close to the city of Eilat.

The Minister indicated that one of the main alternatives being examined today by the Ministry of Transport is the construction of a new airport at Timna, close to Eilat, which could be used for both international and domestic flights.  The new airport would include a passenger terminal and duty free shops similar to those at Ben Gurion Airport.

The evacuation of the existing airport in Eilat would allow for the development of the city northwards and to connect directly to the hotel district located close to the sea shore.

During the conference Katz said that there would soon be a decision regarding the establishment of another two international airports; an airport complementary to Ben Gurion to the north and a second international airport to the south.

He further stated that these airports would have to be built no more than an hour’s drive from the centre of the country, just as in other countries around the world. “It is natural that these airports would be constructed on the infrastructure of existing military airports, like for example the military airfield at Ramat David in the north of Israel or the airfield at Nevatim south of Beersheva,” added Katz.

Regarding the downgrade of Israel’s flight safety, caused by deficiencies that were exposed at supervisory level, the Minister said that the Civil Aviation Authority and his office were working with great intensity to resolve all of the shortcomings exposed in the report of the FAA and would implement all of the remarks cited in the report.  He estimated that by the middle of 2010 Israel will be in a position to be restored to the highest level of flight safety.

Minister Katz stated that he had instructed director general of the ministry, Yaakov Ganot, to establish a civil aviation safety authority, with the aim of moving the responsibility from El Al to the state on checking the security and safety of Israeli aircraft in Israel and throughout the world.