JumpStart International

Located in the far south of the Gaza Strip, Yasser Arafat International Airport (YAIA) opened in November 1998 and served as the only Palestinian-controlled air link with the outside world until it was shut down in late 2000 by the Israeli Defense Force.  

With an operating capacity of 700,000 passengers per year, more than $110 million dollars was invested in the construction and equipping of the YAIA, yet it is currently sitting in ruins with the remnants of most buildings buried under enormous masses of rubble and debris.

In December 2001 the radar station and runway had been totally destroyed by Israeli military forces. Continuous demolitions by the Israeli Defense Force and looting by local residents desperate for scrap material, has obliterated nearly all facilities.

JumpStart International is initiating the process of repairing YAIA by removing the debris from inside the buildings and outside areas of the airport. An enormous effort has begun with clean up and salvage crews working to clear the site and unearth the remaining structures. The initial clearance phase of the project, lasting 2 months, will generate approximately 1,560 working days for local laborers.

Additional phases will attempt to repair the damaged parts of YAIA's runway and coordinate the work of other international participants in the rebuilding process.

JumpStart workers clearing debris the at the airport site