Eliat – Ovda Airport (VDA) is located about 60 km in the north-west of Eliat city. It’s airport typical for cheap airlines. Main Eliat aiport is located in the center of city Eliat and it’s only for domestic flights with small planes. In 2019 the new airport Ramon has been opened for Eliat city. Ovda Airport is located at the desert, in the south edge of Negew desert. Airport infrastructure of VDA is quite small. Terminal is looks more like barrack and people for boarder control waiting under tent.

It’s worth to add that at this airport you have to reserve more time for security control. It could takes two or more hours. Control contains six elements. First is talk with airport employee in stand position at the desk. Time of this talk depends on how you are suspicious for Israel guards. However it could takes even one hour. Next part is security control which based on an accurate x-ray of luggage, focused on the detection of dangerous substances. Here you do not pull anything out of the bags just put in the X-ray device. The third element is personal luggage control. Everyone has a more or less thoroughly checked baggage by an assigned airport employee. Then, the airline’s representative checks your ticket and determines if you have the right size of luggage. The fifth element of control is that known from European airports, that is, putting everything on the tape and scanning. Although the liquids are also laid on the tape separately, the airport staff do not pay attention if someone has water in the bottle and does not need to be thrown away. It is important to have it by this time, because all these procedures last a long time and it is quite hot there. The sixth element of control is the checking of passports by border guards. Actually, if you have a biometric passport, simply apply it to the appropriate machine that will take your picture and print a cart. You need to show this cart later to the border guard and only then you can go directly to the place where you will be waiting for the flight. There is, thankfully, a free distributor with water and mugs.

After arrival security control is much faster. Boarder check only your passport and after that you can go to bus. Remember that airport employees can’t let you back to terminal if you go out even if your friend left inside.

Connection to Eliat Ovda airport is possible in for ways:

• the cheapest and quite fast transport to Eliat is possible with Egged bus number 292. Tickets can be reserved on this site However after that you have to print reserved tickets on the airport. So I recommend to buy ticket on the airport or in cash desk in bus station in Eliat. At the airport egged desk is located just after go out from passport control on the right side. You can pay there by card. On the driver you can by ticket only by cash ILS. Ticket is not assigned to strict hour of departure. Travel to main bus station in Eliat takes about 45 minutes and ticket costs 21,5 ILS one way. Schedule you can find on Egged site link.
• more expensive Eliat Shuttle operated by Fun Time buses link. Cost is about 35 ILS one way, however by this bus you can go directly to your hotel
• taxi you can reach Eliat for about 40 euro one way.
• rent a car or private transport like: link to travel agency Fun time

Autobusy Egged, gdy jest więcej ludzi, kursują po dwa. Jeden zawsze czeka w zapasie. Dojeżdżają one też bezpośrednio do granicy z Jordanią

The cheapest connection to VDA airport is Egged Bus number 292 – cost 21,5 ILS