The airport was constructed by
Israel in 1972 during its occupation of
Sinai following the
Six-Day War. Known as the
Etzion Air Force Base, it was demilitarized in 1979 with the
Egypt–Israel peace treaty. Then Israel's "
Golden Eagle", "
Phoenix", and "
Smashing Parrot" squadrons moved out and the land there was restored to Egyptian control. A condition of that peace treaty allows tourists to visit certain areas in Egypt, near Taba, for up to 14 days, without a visa. So from Israel and Jordan, travelers and tourists cross the border at Taba, in buses to visit resorts. was added and the airport was then renamed Taba International Airport in November 2000. The airport receives
charter flights. Traffic at the airport declined considerably. In 2014, the airport served 41,142 and in 2015, only 13,488 (a 67.2% decline). In 2016, it was announced that
Thales Group would be modernizing
air traffic management at Taba International Airport. In May 2018, it was announced that charter flights to the airport would resume, initially with flights from Poland and then from the Czech Republic. As of 2023, Taba Airport is served by charter flights from
Katowice,
Prague,
Brno and
Bratislava. During the
2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran and subsequent closure of Israeli airspace, Israeli airline
Arkia began a shuttle service between Taba and Athens to allow air access to Israel's southern border town of Eilat. ==Airlines and destinations==