PM, Smotrich discuss delaying closure of Sde Dov airport as deadline looms
Widespread strikes threatened if Tel Aviv airfield seen as vital for tourism in Eilat is shuttered Monday as planned; state could be sued for $2.24 billion if move deferred
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency overnight discussion early Sunday with newly appointed Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich on the impending closure of a small Tel Aviv airport that is seen by some as vital for tourism to the southern city of Eilat, Hebrew-language media reported.
Protests have been held in Eilat and other locations in recent weeks against the plan to shutter the Sde Dov airport on Monday, July 1, some 81 years after it was constructed.
Many Eilat residents fear that closing the airport, which operates several daily flights from Tel Aviv to Eilat, will deter both Israelis and tourists from making the relatively inexpensive trip to the southern city, further cutting it off and contributing to dwindling tourism numbers.
Without Sde Dov, visitors wanting to fly to Eilat would have to do so via Ben Gurion International Airport, increasing travel time.
On Sunday, some 40 municipalities and local councils suspended their municipal services in protest.
The airport sits on prime real estate in north Tel Aviv and will eventually be home to thousands of apartments if the closure goes ahead.
According to the Globes business daily, the state-owned land is slated to be developed into tens of thousands of affordable housing units in the suburbs of northern of Tel Aviv. In the next 5 years, some 16,000 apartments are due to be built on the Sde Dov plot, and another 14,000 on the land just north of the airport that had previously been off-limits due to its proximity to the airfield.
Smotrich has proposed a plan to delay the closure until construction plans at the site are approved, which is expected to take three years. However, the passage of the legislation in the Knesset is expected to take no less than 48 hours, meaning Netanyahu isn’t likely to announce a last-minute change of plan.
The Histadrut labor federation also held emergency discussions early Sunday, with its chairman Arnon Ben-Dov threatening widespread strikes throughout Israel’s economy starting Monday morning if the airport is indeed closed.
Ben-Dov called on Netanyahu to postpone the closure and make a “brave decision to help Eilat and its residents, and keep Israeli airlines and the hotel industry strong.” He said if no solution is found, tens of thousands of employees would be in danger of being fired.
“Closing Sde Dov would be a tragedy and a mistake for the State of Israel,” Ben-Dov said.
However, if the government delays the move to shut Sde Dov, violating an agreement with contractors, the state could face lawsuits totaling more than NIS 8 billion ($2.24 billion). The Finance Ministry is in favor of going ahead with the closure.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel said Terminal 1 at the international Ben Gurion Airport had been prepared to absorb the flights to Eilat in case Sde Dov does close, including an entire floor in the parking lot with some 400 spots reserved for passengers flying to Eilat.
Some 60 percent of Israelis flying to Eilat in recent years did so via Sde Dov.
