On Monday, six weeks after the airports official opening, Irish low-cost carrier RyanAir has operated three flights, to Poznan, Poland and round-trip from Prague, Czech Republic to the Ramon Airport.
The facility is located in Eilat, Israel’s Red Sea resort town, and named for father and son, Ilan and Asaf Ramon, who were both killed in separate air disasters in 2003 and 2009, respectively.
Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan perished in the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle disaster while his son Asaf died six years later when his F-16 fighter jet crashed.
The Ramon Airport is set to hold up to two million passengers a year, with expansion allowing a capacity of up to 4.2 million passengers by 2030.
Ilanit Chernick contributed to this article.