ISRAEL AND JORDAN are investigating the possibility of common use of the Jordanian airport at Aqaba on the Red Sea. The heads of the civil-aviation authorities of both countries will soon tour airports, which serve more than one country, to evaluate the proposed plan.
The mid-town airport of Eilat can handle only small and medium-sized aircraft. The crews of big aircraft operated on charter flights to Eilat must use an Israeli air force base north of the town, where a civil terminal has been built.
A plan to move the Eilat airport to a location 11km (7 miles) north of the town has not been implemented. The peace treaty between Israel and Jordan has opened new opportunities, the issue having been raised at meetings held between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan.
The idea is to build a taxiway from the existing airport at Aqaba across the border to a new terminal, which would be built by the Israelis. The existing Eilat Airport would be closed down.
Source: Flight International