Israel: New airport planned for Northern Negev

Tel Aviv: The Israeli government is set to approve the construction of a complementary international airport in Ziklag, located in the upper Negev north of Be’er Sheva, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“The establishment of a supplementary international airport is a national necessity given the continuing increase in the number of flights to and from Israel,” the statement said. It added that the decision to build the first international airport in southern Israel marks “significant news for the Israeli aviation industry and even greater news for the entire Negev.”
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the project is expected to create thousands of new jobs, strengthen the regional economy, and form part of a broader government initiative to reduce regional disparities and effectively eliminate the concept of the periphery. The airport is intended to ease pressure on existing aviation infrastructure while driving long-term economic development in the Negev region.