The former Air Force base will be divided between IAI and the Israel Airports Authority.
The Ministry of Defense today announced that it had completed its removal of buildings and infrastructure from an area formerly used as a transportation base for the air force, Air Force Base 27, near Ben Gurion Airport. The newly-available land will be given to the Israel Airports Authority and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1), which asked for large portions of it in the framework of its expansion plans. In the future, the land will also be rezoned to accomodate the civilian aviaton activity currently based at Sde Dov Airport in north Tel Aviv, which will be vacated in favor of housing projects.
According to Ministry of Defense head of logistics operations and properties Brig.-Gen. (res.) Betzalel Trayber, the operation to vacate Air Force Base 27 was one of the largest operations conducted by the Ministry of Defense in recent years. "The experience we accumulated in evacuating the base will be useful in the coming years in evacuating other military compounds for the sake of urban and economic development, including the Zerifin and Tel Hashomer bases," Trayber said.
A report published by State Comptroller Judge (ret.) Joseph Shapir in March 2014 severely criticized the defense establishment for its delay in vacating Air Force Base 27.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 28, 2014
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