Ovda International Airport (also Uvda, ICAO: LLOV, IATA: VDA) - second only to Ben Gurion Airport in Israel International Airport, located 60 km north from the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Originally Ovda airport was built as a military airport in 1980, after the State of Israel under the Camp Devidskih agreements returned to Egypt the Sinai peninsula, captured from the Egyptians during the Six Day War, the Air Force and Israel Defense Forces were in desperate need of new military airfields, instead inherited Egypt. Ovda Airport also serves the commercial flights, in particular, there sit the big planes that Eilat Airport can not accept because it is too short (1,900 m) runway. It is expected that by 2010 the airport Ovda cease to serve civilian flights, when the new international airport in Eilat will enter into operation.
History
Early history
Originally Ovda airport was built by the U.S. as an airbase for the Air Force Israel to substitute for Etzion airbase in the Sinai Peninsula, one of three air bases, which were supposed to go to Egypt under the Camp Devidskih agreements. The airport opened in 1981, and since 1982 it has become the operator of airport management in Israel. In the same year in the airport passenger terminal was built when the airport started to serve the direct charter flights from Europe.
Modern History
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled Flights
* Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo)
* Arkia (Haifa, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion)
* El Al (London-Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion)
* Germania (Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf)
* IsraEyr (Haifa, Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion, Moscow - Domodedovo)
* Sun d'Or International Airlines (London-Stansted, Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
* Thomsonfly (London-Luton)
Seasonal and charter flights
* Arkefly (Amsterdam)
* Arkia
* First Choice Airways (Manchester)
* Jetairfly
* Transavia (Amsterdam)
Airports:
* International Airport named after David Ben-Gurion
* International Airport Ovda
* Airport Sde Dov
* Eilat Airport
* Airport Haifa
