Ovda Airport

Ovda Airport (Hebrew: נמל התעופה עובדה, Nemal HaTe'ufa Uvda, Arabic: اوڤدا مطار‎) (IATA: VDA, ICAO: LLOV) is a military and civilian airport in Israel, located in the south of the country, about 60 km (37 mi) north of the city of Eilat. It is the country's second international airport. Ovda was originally built as a military airport in 1980 following Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula as part of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty because the Israeli Air Force needed alternative airfields to its Sinai bases. Nowadays, the airport also serves as the destination for many commercial flights to Eilat, especially for large planes which cannot use the shorter runway at Eilat Airport, although it is still used by the air force. The airport is expected to cease civilian flights once Eilat's new international airport in Timna opens.