The new airport belonging to the Palestinian authority in the Gaza strip is about to open, with Royal Air Maroc set to be the first international airline to operate scheduled flights. The Israeli Government was expected to give approval for flights to begin as Flight International closed for press
The airport, near the Egyptian border, is equipped with a single 2,200m (7,200ft) runway, and was constructed by Moroccan companies. Moroccan airport specialists will supervise operations of the local staff during the early months.
The new airport will be the home base of Palestinian Airlines, which began operating in June 1997 and now has a fleet of three Fokker 50s and a single Boeing 727-200. Until now the airline has been based at the Al Arish airport in Egypt. The carrier plans to operate to Amman, Jordan; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Larnaca, Cyprus, Istanbul and to Bahrain.
Source: Flight International
