The government on Sunday approved a series of decisions aimed at strengthening, rehabilitating, and developing communities in northern Israel, following a special government meeting held in Kiryat Shmona and led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decisions center on advancing the reactivation of the Kiryat Shmona airstrip.
At the directive of Minister of Transport and Road Safety Brig. Gen. (Res.) Miri Regev, a dedicated plan was approved to reactivate the airstrip after more than 20 years during which it did not serve commercial flights. The plan includes advancing flight services to the Center and the South tailored to residents of the North, with an annual budget of approximately 10 million NIS, and regulatory approval for operation in accordance with Civil Aviation Authority requirements.
The airstrip is intended to function as a national infrastructure asset of strategic importance to the North, operating in routine times to strengthen economic, tourism, and business connectivity, and during emergencies as a component of functional continuity, ensuring rapid aerial access for security, medical, and search-and-rescue needs.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We are here in Kiryat Shmona, at the airstrip that we are reopening today. We are going to roll out air transport here, rail transport, and highway transport. People will be able to take the train and be in Tel Aviv in less than an hour."
“We are going to invest billions here in developing the North, all the communities represented here by their local leaders - we are going to lead a massive revolution," Netanyahu said.
“The aim is not only to bring back those who haven't returned yet; many - even most - have returned. No, we are going for something different: We are going to significantly increase the Galilee and the Northern Galilee in terms of population," he added.
Netanyahu said, “We are going to build here: businesses, government hubs of state industries, housing, welfare, education, and tourism."
“This is a massive investment by the State of Israel, but primarily a tremendous joint effort of the local leaders here and of the residents of the North. It is a great thing, and you won't recognize the North," he said.
“I will tell you what I had told people in Or Akiva, Yokneam, Kiryat Malachi, and Kiryat Gat: ‘Invest now, it's going to go higher and higher. Invest now in the North, help the North!’" Netanyahu concluded.
Minister of Transport and Road Safety Brig. Gen. (Res.) Miri Regev said, “Today, after more than 20 years, in the presence of the Prime Minister and the leaders of the communities of the North, I am granting a permit to operate the civil aviation infrastructure that will allow for the resumption of commercial flights between Kiryat Shmona and Ben Gurion Airport, and between Kiryat Shmona and Eilat."
“This is a strategic move that restores aerial connectivity to the North and joins the reopening of the Haifa Airport, as part of a comprehensive vision to connect the North to the Center and the South, making accessibility faster, available, and more advanced - to the point of doing away with the notion of ‘periphery,’" Regev said.
Regev said the permit is advancing alongside the rail project from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat, adding, “We are connecting the North to the State of Israel not just by land, but also by air."
She said, “This is incredible news for businesspeople, students, soldiers, and all residents of the North, and this is a central pillar in the functional continuity of the region in both routine and emergency."
“The change in the security state of affairs allows us to bring flights back to the North, and it is no coincidence that this is happening on the eve of Tu B'Shvat, a holiday of roots and blossoming. We are not uprooting the North; we are strengthening, growing, and expanding it," Regev said.
“The Ministry of Transport, under my leadership, continues to deliver results on the ground and provide connectivity for Israel, in the North, the South, and the Center," she concluded.