I wanted to ask about Haifa airport and the new airline.

1) I know that the Haifa runway is short (1318m). I know that they cannot make a very long extension, because of the port. Can they extend it even a short distance - maybe up to 1500m? That would allow regional jets and DeHavilland DH-8 turboprops to use it.

2) Air Haifa is using ATR-72 planes because of the short runway. It makes sense for short flights to Eilat and Cyprus, but a flight to Athens is about 3 hours. It does not seem like a good use of that airplane.

3) If Air Haifa is going to continue to fly to Athens, could they arrange a Code Share or interline agreement with an airline there (maybe Aegean or Sky Express) to link up to additional destinations?

4) Where do things stand for building a second major airport? I know that they have considered a couple of air bases but those were rejected.