Kingdom rejects Israeli plan to build airport near border

[BLACKEAGLE]

Jordan Times - Jordan on Thursday voiced its “absolute rejection” of plans to establish an Israeli airport near the Kingdom’s border over “several technical and legal issues”.

Setting up the planned Timna Airport to the north of Aqaba on the Israeli side of the border will pose a breach of Jordan’s sovereignty over its own airspace, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafie said.

Jordan made its stand clear at a meeting held on Thursday morning by the joint Jordanian-Israeli transport committee to discuss the projected airport, which the Israeli authorities have started work on, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Rafie as saying.

The project, she added, is in violation of international laws, especially Article 1 of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, noting that it also violates the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The said article reads: “The contracting states recognise that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.”

Jordan stressed at the meeting that building the airport in that location will threaten aviation safety in the entire region, Rafie added.

Jordanian officials cited the planned Timna Airport’s close proximity to the King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba.

The Kingdom’s delegation at Thursday’s meeting was headed by Transport Ministry Secretary General Laith Dababneh, Petra reported.

Jordan notified Israel of its rejection of the airport project last year.

In October 2013, Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission Chief Commissioner Mohammad Qaraan said the Kingdom made its position on the airport clear at a meeting with Israeli officials.

The airport, which Israel plans to build some 18 kilometres north of its port city of Eilat, will serve domestic and international flights and is projected to open in 2016, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Kingdom rejects Israeli plan to build airport near border | Jordan News | Ammon News

 

[T-123456]

Why is it a problem when its not a military airport?

 

[Falcon29]

Why is it a problem when its not a military airport?

They probably want to claim sovereignty over Jordan river area and that conflicts with peace talks.

I'd like to see the location on a map I may be wrong though.

 

[Ayush]

how will it breach jordan's air space sovereignty?

 

[Archdemon]

They probably want to claim sovereignty over Jordan river area and that conflicts with peace talks.

I'd like to see the location on a map I may be wrong though.

What Jordan river? obviously you dont know the geography.

 

[Falcon29]

What Jordan river? obviously you dont know the geography.

Same thing they refer to as the Jordan valley, however I'm not sure where this is being built near the south or along the West Bank-Jordanian border. Which is why I said I may be wrong, take caution when reading my posts.

 

[$@rJen]

They probably want to claim sovereignty over Jordan river area and that conflicts with peace talks.

I'd like to see the location on a map I may be wrong though.

The Airport is coming inside Israel's air space i guess... I don't know whhy Jordan is standing against it... Of course during the War time this airport can be used for military purpose too

Jordan rejects Israeli airport plans
Jordan cites safety concerns over Ramon International Airport in Eilat -- but construction has already begun

Jordan has rejected an Israeli plan to build an airport near the southern resort town of Eilat, citing safety concerns over its proximity to King Hussein airport over the border.

This is likely to be a problematic demand for Israel -- as construction on Ramon International Airport, which is located northeast of Eilat, already started six months ago.

The Yedoith Ahronoth newspaper reported that senior defense officials fear that lack of Jordanian cooperation over issues of airspace and security will make the new airport a target for terror attacks.

Some in Israel also think the Jordanians object to the plans for fear an additional airport in the area would have an adverse effect upon their tourism industry.

"We informed the Jordanians about our intentions to build an airport two years ago but they didn't respond," a diplomat told Yedioth on Tuesday. "The two countries have excellent cooperation. We are discussing the matter with them, and we will hash out our differences. We do not intend to change our plans, and the Jordanians will have to deal with that reality."

Ramon International Airport was approved by the Israeli government in 2011 with the aim of replacing Eilat's current airport -- which is located in the center of the popular tourist destination -- as well as the Ovda international airport in the Negev desert nearby.

King Hussein airport is located in the Jordanian town of Aqaba, across from Eilat.

The director of Jordan's civil aviation authority, Mohammad Qaran, was quoted by the Petra news agency as saying Monday: "We discovered that the proposed airport does not meet international standards for airports constructed in close proximity. We informed Israel about our decision and asked them to look for an alternative location."

Qaran quoted the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which states that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over airspace above its territory.

"We requested the Israeli side to search for a new location that meets the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and inform us about the new location for assessment," Quran added.

The new airport is to be named after Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, who was killed in the Columbia space shuttle disaster, and his son Assaf, an Israeli fighter pilot killed in 2009 when his aircraft crashed in Israel.

The project is expected to cost 1.7 billion shekels ($470 million) and is scheduled to be completed within three years.

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

There are standards to making new airports especially airports that are close to the international borders of other nations.

Perhaps the Airport will send Jets into Jordanian airspace in a matter of minutes? Jordan has an airport close by?

Also International flights are given allocated flight paths, it not like you can just fly an airplane and do zigzags to your destination.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

So, what are the alternatives for Israel?

 

[Ceylal]

These pictures speak volume of the respect that Netanyahu has for his Arab neighbours

It his hard to imagine the wren stopping Israel from having her Airport.

 

[elis]

I'am not convinced by this new attempt to show that jordanians fight Israel

 

[Solomon2]

They probably want to claim sovereignty over Jordan river area and that conflicts with peace talks.

WTF? You claim to have been educated as a "Palestinian" Arab, one whose had the map of the region drilled into your brain since kindergarten, yet you don't realize the Jordan River isn't anywhere near the proposed airport?

 

[Solomon2]

"We discovered that the proposed airport does not meet international standards for airports constructed in close proximity. We informed Israel about our decision and asked them to look for an alternative location."

Qaran quoted the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which states that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over airspace above its territory.

"We requested the Israeli side to search for a new location that meets the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and inform us about the new location for assessment," Quran added.

Apparently the FM spokesman didn't quote any specific standards and it appears that restricting Israel's sovereignty over Israeli airspace is the intent here. Yet the Israelis claim the Jordanians never responded. Some things just don't add up here.

 

[Doritos11]

British king of Jordan is pro Israel, learn from Tariq Aziz