Eilat Ramon Airport Guide: Transfers, Transport & Tips (2026)

Ramon Airport (IATA: ETM) — formally Ilan and Assaf Ramon International Airport, named for Israel’s first two astronauts, father Ilan and son Assaf — opened in January 2019 to replace the old Eilat city airport, which was hemmed in by urban development and could not safely handle larger modern aircraft. ETM sits 18 km north of Eilat in the Timna Valley, a stretch of Arava Desert between the Negev mountains and the Jordan border, and it serves as Israel’s southern gateway to the Red Sea.

Getting from the airport to Eilat

Ramon Airport is about 18 km north of central Eilat by road — roughly 20 minutes in normal traffic. You have three options.

Bus (Egged)

Bus 30 and Bus 50 run directly between the airport terminal and Eilat central bus station. The journey takes about 20 minutes and costs approximately ₪8. Departures are roughly hourly during core hours, but the schedule thins out early morning and late at night. Always confirm current timetables at bus.co.il before you travel, particularly for early morning or late evening arrivals. The bus stop is immediately outside the arrivals exit.

This is the cheapest option and perfectly adequate if your hotel is near the city centre or North Beach, where the bus station is a short walk or taxi hop away.

Taxi / Gett

The Gett app operates in Eilat. Book a taxi from the arrivals exit — expect approximately ₪70–90 to the main North Beach hotel strip, ₪80–100 to the Coral Beach area further south. Fixed-rate taxis are also available from the official rank outside arrivals; metered fares apply.

Taxis are the right choice for late arrivals when buses have stopped, for groups with multiple bags, or when you need to reach a hotel away from the central bus station area.

Car hire

All major car hire companies have desks inside the arrivals hall: Avis, Hertz, Budget, Sixt, and Eldan all have counters you can walk up to on arrival, though pre-booking online secures a better rate and guarantees availability at peak times. Self-drive from the airport is particularly practical in Eilat because the main attractions — Timna Park (25 km north of the city), Coral Beach Nature Reserve (south end of Eilat), and the Jordanian border crossing for Petra — all require your own transport or a tour.

See the car rental in Israel guide for what to look for in a rental agreement, insurance options, and what to expect at Israeli car hire desks.

What is at the airport

Ramon Airport is a single-terminal building. It is comfortable and functional but significantly smaller than Ben Gurion — there is no international-standard lounge, and the airside retail is limited to a café and a small duty-free shop.

Arrivals hall (landside): car hire desks line one side of the hall. There are two ATMs, a small convenience kiosk, and a café. Credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere; Israeli shekels are available from the ATMs if you need cash for the bus or taxi.

Departures (airside): after passing security and check-in, the gate area has a café, a small duty-free, and seating. If you are hoping to do significant duty-free shopping, plan to use Eilat’s tax-free shopping in the city itself before heading to the airport — the city’s retail is far more extensive than the airside offering.

Flights to and from Ramon Airport

Domestic routes

The most frequent service is Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion, TLV) to Eilat (ETM). El Al, Arkia and Israir all fly the route, with a flight time of roughly 50 minutes. In peak season there can be eight to ten departures each direction per day; outside peak periods the schedule is more limited. Tickets can be cheap (₪150–200 one-way booked early) or significantly more expensive if you book close to travel dates or around Jewish holidays.

Air Haifa (the new carrier based at Haifa Airport, launched September 2024) has announced a Haifa (HFA) to ETM direct route and up to 10 daily TLV–ETM departures from October 2026, making it a new competitor on the Eilat corridor. For travellers based in northern Israel, the Haifa Airport & Air Haifa guide covers this option. Verify current Air Haifa schedules at airhaifa.com before planning.

Wizz Air Israel (the Israeli subsidiary of Wizz Air, launched March 2026) operates ETM as its domestic hub, adding further competition on the TLV–ETM corridor with low-cost fares. Check wizzair.com for current Israel domestic schedules — route frequency and fares change as the carrier establishes itself.

Use the cheap flights to Israel guide for tools to track Israeli domestic fare fluctuations.

International routes (2026)

International access to Eilat has expanded in 2026. Wizz Air operates seasonal scheduled routes from Warsaw, Budapest and other Central European cities. TUI and Jet2 operate charter services from UK and German airports during the winter sun season (typically October–April), when demand from European sun-seekers peaks. Note: Ryanair has not operated any Israel flights since 2023 and has confirmed no restart for 2026.

Route availability is highly seasonal and subject to change — always verify current schedules at iaa.gov.il/en/airports/ramon before planning a trip around a specific international connection.

Ramon Airport and Petra day trips

One underappreciated feature of Ramon Airport’s location is its proximity to the Jordanian border. The Yitzhak Rabin Border Crossing (Arava Crossing) is approximately 3 km from the terminal — a short taxi ride, and actually closer to the airport than to Eilat city centre. This makes combining a flight into ETM with an overland connection to Petra extremely straightforward.

A practical pattern: fly into ETM in the morning, take a taxi to the Arava crossing (₪30–40 from the airport), complete Israeli and Jordanian formalities, and reach Wadi Musa for an afternoon start at Petra. The crossing is open to tourists with prior visa arrangements — see the full Petra from Eilat guide for crossing hours, Jordan visa requirements and what to expect on the Jordanian side.

Arriving from Petra or Wadi Rum

The same logic applies in reverse. If you are ending a Jordanian section of your trip at Petra or Wadi Rum, crossing back into Israel at the Arava crossing and catching a domestic flight home from ETM is often more convenient than retracing overland to Tel Aviv. Allow a minimum of 3 hours from leaving your Jordan accommodation to ETM check-in, accounting for the drive to the border, crossing formalities, and the airport taxi.

Airport surroundings

Ramon Airport is surrounded by Timna Valley desert. There is no town, no petrol station immediately adjacent, and no accommodation at the airport. If you arrive late at night without a pre-booked onward arrangement, your options are limited to Gett taxi to Eilat — budget for the ₪80–90 fare. The nearest filling station is at the Eilat city outskirts on Route 90 southbound.

If you are planning an early-morning flight and want to minimise the pre-dawn transfer from Eilat, some travellers staying the night at the Eilat Isrotel Yam Suf or similar centrally-located hotels book a 4:30–5am Gett in advance for reliable early-morning pickup.

Eilat after landing

The airport is the starting point — Eilat itself has the beaches, the reef, and the desert experiences. For planning your stay:

• Beaches and reef: Eilat beach guide covers all beach options from North Beach to Coral Beach Nature Reserve
• Snorkeling and diving: Eilat diving and snorkeling guide
• Day trips: Timna Park, Petra from Eilat, Aqaba from Eilat
• Hotels: Eilat hotels guide compares the main accommodation zones