Historic Milestone in the South: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and Deputy Minister Almog Cohen visited the Tze’elim site in the Negev today to closely examine the site for the supplementary airport to Ben Gurion Airport.
Minister Regev: “Establishing a supplementary airport is a necessary strategic step for security, the economy, and the operational continuity of the economy. Tze’elim Airport will strengthen Israel’s infrastructural promise and turn the Negev into a significant growth engine.”
Following the publication of tenders for the establishment of the supplementary airport to Ben Gurion Airport. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety Miri Regev, Deputy Minister MK Almog Cohen, Director-General of the Ministry of Transportation Moshe Ben Zaken, Acting Director-General of the Prime Minister’s Office Drorit Steinmetz, and other senior officials arrived today (Thursday) at the Tze’elim site in the Negev to closely examine the site for the supplementary airport to Ben Gurion Airport, a strategic national infrastructure project, one of the largest and most significant that the Ministry of Transportation has been promoting in recent years.
The establishment of the airport in Tze’elim will provide a strategic, economic, and security response to the expected growth in passenger traffic and the need for an alternative infrastructural guarantee, given that Ben Gurion Airport is approaching its capacity ceiling.
According to professional forecasts, Ben Gurion Airport is expected to reach a maximum capacity of approximately 40 million passengers per year in the coming decades. Without the establishment of supplementary international airports, there is a real risk of a shortage of flight supply relative to demand, price increases, and a deepening of the impact on the cost of living.
The decision to advance the Tze’elim alternative was made after an amendment to a government decision, which stipulated that instead of the Nevatim alternative, which was found to be operationally unfeasible for security reasons, the Tze’elim alternative would be promoted. Concurrently, the government continues to promote a supplementary airport in the north in the Ramat David area, in order to create a balanced and complementary national aviation system.
The establishment of the supplementary international airport holds paramount national and security importance. The security reality and lessons learned from the “Swords of Iron” war and Operation “With All Your Might” have highlighted the need to diversify aviation infrastructure and reduce dependence on a single international air gateway. The establishment of an additional airport will strengthen national resilience and enable operational flexibility and functional continuity in routine and emergency alike. The airport in Tze’elim will strengthen Israel’s infrastructural redundancy, allow for risk diversification, and ensure a long-term response to the needs of the economy and commerce.
Beyond the national aspects, the establishment of the new airport is a move of broad and deep regional significance. The airport is expected to serve as a significant economic growth engine for the South, create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, strengthen industry, commerce, and tourism, and dramatically improve accessibility to the Kiryat Gat, Netivot, Sderot, Ofakim, and Rahat areas. The project integrates into a broader concept of creating new growth centers in the Negev, and turning the South into a significant economic hub in the State of Israel.
It should be noted that the National Council for Planning and Building has approved the promotion of the National Master Plan for the Tze’elim Airport. A review of planning alternatives has been conducted, environmental impact assessments are being promoted, and professional field tours have taken place.
The Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety and Netivei Israel Company have published a high-quality professional tender to select the leading planning team for the project. The establishment of the airport will be carried out through the PPP division of Netivei Israel Company, as part of a complex and long-term national infrastructure project.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “The State of Israel is a magnet. It has a world-class economy, and it will continue to grow in the era of high-tech and the era of AI. And when you grow rapidly, you get millions who want to arrive, and they need to land and take off. Therefore, there is a vital need for an additional airport. There is also a vital need to continue developing the Negev, as we began to do and continue to do, and now we are continuing with tremendous momentum. Momentum of aviation. This is a tremendous engine of growth for employment and for bringing in a young population, and it is a huge tool for development that will also bring in the private sector. I thank Minister Miri Regev, Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, and Acting Director-General Drorit Steinmetz for their excellent cooperation in bringing this good news.”
Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Miri Regev: “We stand here today in Tze’elim on ground that symbolizes national responsibility. The security reality has clarified for all of us that the State of Israel cannot rely on a single international air gateway. Establishing a supplementary airport is a necessary strategic step for security, the economy, and the operational continuity of the economy. Tze’elim Airport will strengthen Israel’s infrastructural promise and turn the Negev into a significant growth engine. We are not waiting for a crisis; we are shaping the aviation future of the State of Israel, with a systemic view of the needs of the economy, commerce, and security, to ensure the State of Israel has a reliable, balanced, and ready national air transport system for decades to come. This is a decision of security, of economy, and of Zionism.”
Deputy Minister, MK Almog Cohen: “I thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev for the historic decision in the biblical land from which King David arose. Today, we have brought a tremendous message of revival that will change the face of the Negev for generations to come. The project will bring thousands of quality employment opportunities and create a huge ecosystem for this important region.”
Director-General of the Ministry of Transportation, Moshe Ben Zaken: “The tour conducted in Tze’elim in the Negev marks the beginning of a vital national project that will lead to a significant upgrade in the State of Israel’s air transport system. This project is part of the Ministry of Transportation’s efforts to expand air infrastructure, will ensure not only the continued economic growth of the country but also its security resilience, while creating new jobs and being a true catalyst for change for the southern region. The new airport will not only reduce dependence on Ben Gurion Airport but will also provide a response to the expected passenger traffic in the coming decades, and will allow for maximum operational flexibility in routine and emergency.”
Chairman of Netivei Israel Company, Yigal Amadi: “Promoting the establishment of the supplementary airport in Tze’elim is a strategic move that will change the face of the Negev and serve as a tremendous growth engine for the entire Israeli economy. We are committed to the planning and establishment of the airport, in order to ensure Israel’s aviation resilience.”
Director-General of Netivei Israel Company, Nissim Peretz: “We are taking another step towards a big dream that is a critical component in the aviation future of the State of Israel. The Tze’elim Airport, alongside the airport to be built in Ramat David, are historic national and strategic ventures for the State of Israel. They are intended to ensure aviation continuity and the development of the Israeli economy for decades to come.”
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