ETM Ramon Airport Transfer | Eilat & Petra

Ramon Airport (IATA: ETM) opened in January 2019 in the Timna Valley, 18 kilometres north of Eilat, replacing both the old in-town Eilat airport (ETH) and Ovda (VDA) which had handled charters from the 1980s onward. Ramon is Israel's second international airport and serves a steady load of European winter-sun charters plus domestic traffic from Tel Aviv. The terminal is compact, modern and quick to clear; the onward drive to Eilat hotels takes 20–30 minutes along Highway 90. Petra day-trippers use the Wadi Araba (Yitzhak Rabin) border crossing, 10–15 minutes from Ramon. Taxi availability is inconsistent on Shabbat and Jewish holidays — a LocalsRide pre-booking locks the USD fare and assigns a driver who operates every day of the week.

ETM Transfer Times

Eilat North Beach hotels (Dan, Herods, Leonardo): 18 km, 20–30 min. Eilat Lagoon Promenade: 20 km, 22–32 min. Coral Reserve (Almog): 22 km, 25–35 min. Taba Border Crossing (Egypt, for Dahab and Sharm): 28 km, 30–40 min. Wadi Araba (Yitzhak Rabin) Border Crossing (Jordan, for Aqaba and Petra): 22 km, 10–15 min. Mitzpe Ramon crater town: 135 km, 1.5–2 hours.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Why did my ticket show VDA or ETH instead of ETM for Eilat?

Both old codes (ETH in-town and VDA Ovda) closed in 2019 when Ramon (ETM) opened. Any post-2019 ticket should show ETM; if the old codes appear it's a carrier's legacy booking system — the actual airport is Ramon. A LocalsRide booking for ETM covers any arrival to this airport.

Does Ramon Airport have taxis 24/7?

The ETM taxi rank operates around flight arrivals but can leave gaps for late-night arrivals outside Shabbat-operational hours. Sabbath and Jewish holidays thin supply further. A pre-booked LocalsRide transfer guarantees a vehicle at fixed USD fare for any arrival including Friday evening.