Eilat – Transportation Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday instructed the relevant agencies to immediately open the Uvda airport, the country’s second terminus for air traffic which lies just north of Eilat, in the wake of the spate of flight cancellations announced by major foreign airlines.
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Katz convened a meeting of senior civilian aviation officials who recommended that the Uvda airport be utilized to replace Ben-Gurion Airport.
Speaking to reporters at Ben-Gurion Airport, Katz said that Uvda would begin operating at noon local time. The minister said that efforts are also being made to provide service to some 4,000 Israelis who were left stranded in Istanbul after their airlines refused to fly into Lod in light of the FAA ban announced on Tuesday.
Katz said that his ministry had urged Turkish aviation officials to transport the Israelis back home, but that the Turks are hesitant to land their aircraft in Uvda.
Air travel to Israel from all American carriers and several European ones came to a halt on Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Authority banned US airlines from traveling to and from Ben-Gurion Airport for 24 hours.
The decision followed the successful firing of a Hamas rocket into a house in Yehud, near Ben-Gurion Airport earlier in the day.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
Just what I recommended on here yesterday.
Regarding Eilat, for years charter flights from Europe, including large jets have been flying directly into Eilat. Yet, at the present time, if I wish to fly to Eilat, I first have to go to Ben-Gurion Airport from NYC/Newark, and then take Arkia Airlines, or another Israeli carrier, and fly to Eilat. My question is why can’t there be non-stop service to Eilat from NYC/Newark, as there is from Europe? Has this policy been implemented in order to benefit Arkia? Can someone explain? Thanks.