The government’s plan to build a new airport at Tziklag, east of Netivot, is moving ahead after understandings were reached with local councils in the area. The project was approved earlier this year, and tenders connected to the airport are expected to open at the beginning of 2028.

The proposed airport is being advanced as Israel looks for a secondary major airport to ease the growing burden on Ben Gurion Airport. The plan has drawn criticism because of the site’s proximity to Gaza and nearby Israeli Air Force training zones, and local councils had also voiced concerns. But in recent days, understandings were reached with residents and local authorities, clearing a major obstacle for the project.

The Tziklag project is now moving faster than the long-discussed airport plan at Ramat David in northern Israel, raising the possibility that the northern project could ultimately be canceled. People involved in the Ramat David initiative, however, argue that both airports could still be built, while others say that is unlikely given the multibillion-shekel cost and the fierce opposition from residents in the north.

The renewed push for a second airport comes as air traffic through Ben Gurion continues to surge. Last Thursday, about 85,000 passengers passed through the airport, the highest figure since the outbreak of the war, and the Airports Authority expects that record to be broken again in the coming days. About 2.3 million passengers are expected to pass through Ben Gurion this month alone, despite the fact that more than half of foreign airlines have still not resumed service to Israel.

Before the war and the coronavirus pandemic, about 24 million passengers traveled through Ben Gurion in 2019. By 2040, passenger traffic there is expected to reach about 40 million annually, one of the main reasons officials say Israel needs a second airport. The planned Tziklag airport is expected to handle about 10 million passengers a year.

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