Saudi Arabia has announced it will open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more flights to and from Israel, another sign that relations between the two countries are warming.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation announced on Thursday that the Kingdom’s airspace is now open to all airlines that meet the requirements to fly in accordance with international agreements that stipulate non-discrimination of civil aircraft.
She added in a statement that the decision “complements efforts aimed at strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a global hub connecting three continents and strengthening international air connectivity”.
Riyadh’s announcement of an open skies policy will mean shorter flights from Asia to Israel, as airlines serving those routes will no longer have to make long detours around Saudi Arabia en route to Israel.
US President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to travel to the kingdom from Israel on Friday as part of a regional tour, welcomed the Saudi move.
“This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable and secure Middle East, which is critical to the security and well-being of the United States and the American people, as well as the security and well-being of Israel,” the White House national security adviser said. Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, a US official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia would soon grant unlimited overflights to Israeli airlines and allow direct charter flights from Israeli Muslims on the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
a thriving relationship
There are no diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom does not recognize Israel as a country, which is one possible reason why the Saudi statement did not mention Israel by name.
But behind the scenes, the two sides have been working together on security issues for some time, as both are concerned about the growing influence of common enemy Iran in the region.
Saudi Arabia has already allowed flights between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to use its airspace since the two Gulf neighbors established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 through the United States.
In 2020, Saudi air traffic control allowed an Israeli plane bound for India to fly through its airspace to avoid bad weather, according to a report.
In a guest op-ed for The Washington Post earlier this week, Biden said he was pleased he would be the first president to fly directly from Israel to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday, describing the flight as “a small symbol of the thriving relationship and steps toward normalization between Israel and the Arab world .”
–
