Israel to open airport in Eilat despite Jordan’s objections

The Israeli authorities plan to open Ramon International Airport near the border with Jordan despite the objections of the government in Amman, Anadolu has reported. The airport is being built in the Timna Valley 20km (11 miles) outside Eilat, which is adjacent to the Jordanian city of Aqaba, where King Hussein International Airport is located.

Jordan said that it objected to the construction of the Israeli airport, which was given the go ahead in 2013, because it could affect radio communications at the airport in Aqaba. Amman has sent its objections to the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Read: Israelis set up new illegal outpost in northern Jordan Valley

According to an anonymous Jordanian official, the kingdom’s complaint is intended to protect its own airspace and keep flights and passengers safe. In its submission to the ICAO, Jordan has pointed out that building the Israeli airport is a violation of the Chicago Agreement 1944 about the safety requirements for new airports. Not only would aircraft using Ramon International “surely violate” Jordanian sovereignty prior to landing, Amman insists, but also threaten safety and security at King Hussein International Airport.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Israel signed a peace deal in 1994 that ended hostility between the two countries. Nevertheless, Jordan is insisting that Israel has violated international norms related to building new airports when it decided to build the new facility in Eilat.