The local committee for planning and construction of Jerusalem decided yesterday (Wednesday) to recommend to the district committee the deposit of a new plan for the construction of a neighborhood with 9,000 housing units at the Atarot airport site in northeast Jerusalem.
The area of the plan is 1,243 dunams. The neighborhood will also allocate areas for employment, hotels, commerce, public buildings and open spaces. The plan stipulates the preservation of the historic terminal building. The developer of the plan is the Ministry of Construction and Housing, and the designer is the architect Yuval Kadmon.
Atarot neighborhood in Jerusalem / Photo: Architect Yuval Kadmon
The moderator near Atarot was established by the British in the early 1920s, due to its proximity to Jerusalem, its convenient topography and the need to remove the moderator who lived in the Talpiot neighborhood due to complaints from residents of the neighborhood that began to develop. The British located it east of Moshav Atarot and the village of Qalandiya. In the 1930s, very limited civil aviation began to develop to Jerusalem. During the War of Independence the facilitator was wounded.
Under Jordanian rule the complex was restored and expanded to become an international airport. In 1950 it received its official name “Jerusalem Airport”. By 1967, it operated 15 airlines, all of them Arab countries, and it served about ten destinations in the Middle East. Growing international companies like SAS have flown to the port through Arab airlines. The field was used both by the Jordanian Air Force and for the purpose of importing and exporting goods. The Jerusalem field had twice as many passengers as the only other field that operated in the Kingdom of Jordan, in the capital city of Amman.
After the Six Day War, the Israeli government decided to include the airport in the municipal area of Jerusalem so that the capital would have its own airport, and the name of the airport was changed to “Jerusalem Airport”. Airport management has been handed over to the Airports Authority. Arkia Airlines began using the airport for domestic flights, but it did not serve as a base but as a stopover for picking up and dropping off passengers on some of the flights between Sde Dov and Eilat Airport.
In 1972, the Israeli government invested in renovating the airport with the aim of using it for international flights, but this did not materialize due to international opposition. With the outbreak of the second intifada, in 2000, it was decided to close the airport, as it is surrounded by dense Arab settlement.
The Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, welcomed the preparation of the new neighborhood plan and said: “This is another program as part of a number of programs that I lead and promote, to reduce gaps and create housing solutions for young people from all sectors. This is the right way to improve the quality of life.”