Tourismupdated 19m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 18 February 2020Ramon Airport Near Eilat Resumes Flights After 4.5 Earthquake Inspections
3 Other2 West Asian1 Israeli1 Western MainstreamPhoto: Roman Toldy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Flights at Ramon Airport resumed after brief suspension for earthquake inspections. The 4.5 magnitude earthquake occurred about 30 km south of Eilat, near Taba, Sinai Peninsula.
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Ramon Airport Briefly Paused
Israel’s Ramon Airport near Eilat suspended flights on Wednesday for inspections and infrastructure checks after a magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck about 30 km south of Eilat, according to Israel’s airports authority and the Geological Survey of Israel. The Israel Airports Authority evacuated the Ramon Airport terminal as a precaution and ordered inspections and checks before operations could continue. The Israel Geological Survey estimated a 4.5 on the Richter scale for the seismic event felt in Eilat, and it placed the epicenter in Taba in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, at a depth of about 8 kilometers.
The Israel Airports Authority later said, "After completing the scanning and inspections of the infrastructure, Ramon Airport has resumed its operations in full," and flights resumed minutes later. Ben Gurion near Tel Aviv continued operating normally while Ramon Airport returned to full operation after the checks.
Civil Defense and Evacuation
The Home-front Command (Pikud Haoref), or Civil Defense, ordered the population of Eilat and nearby communities in the Arava region to move away from buildings after the seismic event was felt. The Home-front Command later notified residents that they could return to the structures, after the initial precautionary movement. The Cyprus Mail said flights resumed on Wednesday at Israel’s Ramon Airport after a brief suspension following an earthquake in the region, citing Israel’s airports authority.
The Israel Airports Authority explained that the suspension was ordered so that inspections and checks of the airport’s infrastructure could be carried out after the tremor struck the Eilat region. The Egyptian Gazette said alerts sounded in Eilat, Eilot, Be’er Ora, Elifaz, the Timna Mines and the Shahoret Industrial Zone after the earthquake hit the Eilat region.
Tourism and Travel Disruption
Ramon Airport’s temporary evacuation and flight suspension disrupted air traffic in the area near the southern Red Sea resort city of Eilat while inspections and checks were carried out. Itón Gadol said the evacuation occurred after the Internal Front Command issued instructions for people in the area to move away from structures as a preventive measure against the seismic movement. Itón Gadol also said the suspension affected flights en route to the terminal, and it described an Arkia aircraft bound for Ramon that remained over the area after being denied landing due to the disruption of operations.
Khaleej Times said flights resumed on Wednesday at Israel’s Ramon Airport after a brief suspension following an earthquake in the region, and it quoted the airports authority saying, "Following the completion of the inspections and infrastructure checks, Ramon Airport has returned to full operation." The Israel Airports Authority reiterated that Ramon Airport resumed operations in full after completing scanning and inspections of the infrastructure, while Ben Gurion near Tel Aviv was not affected.
