Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace for the first time to a direct commercial flight to Israel. The inauguration of the historic route, with the New Delhi-Tel Aviv route, operated by Air India, took place yesterday 22 March 2018.
Flight 139 of the Indian company landed yesterday at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv at the end of a flight that lasted over seven and a half hours and recorded an epochal diplomatic change in relations between Riyadh and Israel, most likely approaching to counter the growing Iranian influence in the region.
The satisfaction of the Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who in the course of a radio interview, underlined how the use of Saudi airspace has reduced travel to and from India by about two hours with the consequent, fundamental reduction of airline ticket prices.
"This is a truly historic day that follows two years of very, very intense work" is the comment of the Israeli diplomat.
Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam and home to its holiest shrines, does not recognize the State of Israel and although Riyadh has not formally confirmed the granting of Air India's overflight rights, this concession has put an end to a ban lasted 70 years, which prevented flights to or from Israel from crossing Saudi airspace. There is still no indication as to whether this "green light" will apply to all airlines, including Israeli ones.
According to the Flightradar tracking app,
Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner entered the Saudi airspace around the 16: 45 GMT. He flew over the Kingdom, for about three hours, staying at 40.000 feet reaching, on the way, the very short distance of 60 km (37 miles) from the capital Riyadh.
The aircraft that flew over Oman before entering Saudi airspace then crossed Jordan and the occupied 'West Bank' in Israel.
Officials from Oman, another country that does not recognize Israel, would not be available for comment on the matter.
The Israeli national airline El Al,
which currently flies four times a week to the Indian city of Mumbai, is
at least at the moment, excluded from the Saudi route. For this reason, no complaints have been made by the leaders of the Israeli airline who complain about the unfair advantage granted to Indian competition.
The flights operated by EI AI take about 7 hours and 40 minutes, following a route of the Red Sea that swings towards Ethiopia precisely to avoid Saudi airspace.
If the El Al aircraft were to fly to New Delhi, a destination apparently in the sights of the Israeli airline, it would take another two hours and consequently much more fuel.
Interviewed by the Israeli army radio, Levin expressed his confidence in the desired permission to be able to use the Saudi airspace also to the Israeli company El Al.
When asked the Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin about the possibility that other foreign airlines could follow Air India, in the inauguration of routes to Tel Aviv that fly over Saudi Arabia, Levin replied that negotiations are underway with Singapore Airlines and a carrier from the Philippines, which he however did not name.
"They are certainly showing willingness and desire to fly to Israel, and I don't know if they will also receive permission like the Indian airline," the diplomat said.
Singapore Airlines, asked about it, did not comment on the news.
GB
Photo: the japan times
