Saudi Arabia: More flights from Israel will be possible due to Saudi Arabia's announcement that it will open its airspace to all air carriers this is a sign that relations between the two countries are improving.
In line with international conventions that there should be no discrimination between civilian aircraft, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced on Thursday that the country's airspace is now open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights.
According to a GACA statement, the election "will complement efforts aimed at strengthening the state's position as a global hub connecting the three continents and increasing international air connectivity." Shorter flights from Asia to Israel will result from Riyadh's announcement of an open skies policy because airlines serving those routes will not have to circle around Saudi Arabia.
United States President Joe Biden, who visits the kingdom on Friday as part of a regional tour, hailed Saudi Arabia's action.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that the decision "paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is critical to the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, as well." Only for Israel's security and prosperity."
Earlier on Thursday, a US official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia would soon allow direct charter flights from Israel for Muslims attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, as well as allow unrestricted overflight access for Israeli airlines.
Developing Relationships:
One possible explanation for why Israel was not specifically mentioned in the Saudi statement is that Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations and the kingdom does not recognize Israel as a state.
But behind the scenes, the two sides have been cooperating on security issues for some time as they both worry about the growing regional influence of their rival Iran.
In fact, since its two Gulf neighbors established diplomatic relations with Israel through US mediation in 2020, Saudi Arabia has allowed flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to use its airspace. .
A report claimed that in 2020 Saudi air traffic control allowed an Israeli aircraft headed to India to take off from its airspace to avoid bad weather.
Biden expressed his excitement about being the first president to travel directly from Israel to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday in a guest article for The Washington Post. He described the visit as "a small symbol of the flourishing relations between Israel and the Arab world and steps towards normalization"