Vision to Reality: The Reut Blog

The idea of establishing an international airport in Israel’s periphery has been in the public spotlight for years. Recently, Israel’s Transportation Minister, Israel Katz, called for expediting the construction of an international airport in the south of the country. He also stressed the importance of road and railway systems to support the new aerial infrastructure.

There is no doubt as to the importance of roads and railways for the economic activity of areas outside Israel’s center. However, the distance to the global market is also an important parameter in regional development, especially as the global economy has recently become more regional.

A region’s access to global markets could be attained by aviation infrastructure, together with other infrastructures such as information and communication technologies. For example, Kiryat Gat’s proximity to Ben Gurion airport encouraged Intel to locate its factory there. Using the same logic, establishing international airports in the Negev and Galilee may help link those regions to the global market.   

However, the exact location of these international airports in the Negev and Galilee should be considered carefully, in order to reduce a possible damage to region’s special character. After all, natural values (such as landscape etc) are one component of these regions’ unique assets, which allow them to compete globally.