Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv will shut down operations and all flights on Friday evenings for a 10-month period, in order to carry out an extension of a runway, according to Israel Airports Authority (IAA) officials.
The move, to go into effect on Jan. 7, will be in effect between local time 6:00 P.M. (GMT 1600) and 11:00 P.M. (GMT 2100), the Ha'aretz daily reported on Thursday.
The closure is intended to allow for more comprehensive maintenance to all of the facility's runways, officials said, according to the report.
Some charter carriers complained about the measure, saying the shut down would make more sense in early morning, when there are no flights due to recently imposed, court-ordered noise restrictions, Xinhua reported.
The High Court ruling in November came about after a petition against Israeli carrier, El Al, by residents living beneath aircraft flight paths. The ban will continue for three years, until the repairs are scheduled to be completed.
The IAA earmarked about 820 million U.S. dollars in resources for airport projects at Ben-Gurion at the beginning of 2010, including runway upgrades, a new control tower and an additional terminal.
Israel has seven airports and airfields across the country.