It was named after Arkia Airlines founder Yakov Hozman (Jacob Housman) and was located in the center of Eilat adjacent to Route 90 (The Arava Road).

During its early years, the airport aimed to establish a comprehensive set of connections to towns across the country, most notably with Tel Aviv and Haifa.

In December 1950, following their establishment, Arkia Israel Airlines became the largest domestic operator at Eilat Airport, taking the position of the former companies Eilata and Aviron.

Militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula had fired rockets towards the city in recent years, but it was not immediately clear if that was the reason for the closure.

[11] During its latest period of service, Eilat Airport sustained peak loads concentrated into Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

[12] As a result, El Al operated regular shuttle flights to Ben Gurion International Airport carrying passengers from around the world on 757s and 737s.

[15] There were numerous reasons behind this idea, primarily the fact that safety would be improved as, in its current location, there is the chance of aircraft crashing into buildings in the city.

[12] On 24 July 2011 the Israeli cabinet approved the construction of a new airport in Timna Valley, 18 km (11 mi) north of Eilat, next to Be'er Ora.

All in all some 750,000 square metres (8,100,000 sq ft) of former airport land was to be redeveloped as part of larger plans to develop the city of Eilat.

[20] In addition to freeing up the land of the former airport itself, the closure also allowed for an end of height restriction laws affecting buildings in the vicinity.