Tel Aviv: The government will approve the construction of the complementary international airport in Ziklag in the upper Negev, north of Be'er Sheva.

"The establishment of a supplementary international airport is a national necessity given the continuing increase in the number of flights to and from Israel," said the Prime Minister's Office in a statement, adding, "The decision to establish the first airport in the south is significant news for the Israeli aviation industry and even greater news for the entire Negev."

The airport is expected to create thousands of new jobs, strengthen the regional economy, and is part of a broad move led by the government to reduce gaps and effectively eliminate the concept of periphery.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.