Air India to fly to Israel over Saudi airspace
Air India to fly to Israel over Saudi airspace
The Air India flights to Tel Aviv start on 22 March and will use Saudi airspace to cut the travel time by hours.
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A new Boeing plane waits near an Air India hangar [Getty]
Air India said on Friday it will fly over Saudi airspace enroute to Tel Aviv, a move that ends a decades-long ban on the use of Saudi airspace for flights to Israel.
"The Air India flights to Israel will start from March 22. The flights will take around seven hours and five minutes, and fly over... Saudi airspace," said Praveen Bhatnagar, an Air India spokesman.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the new route in July, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggesting it was the first step towards Israeli flights following suit.
Saudi Arabia has no official diplomatic relations with Israel, but the two countries are both close Washington allies and arch-rivals of Iran.
Riyadh has maintained public silence on Israeli hints of covert ties with the kingdom.
El Al, Israel's national carrier, currently takes a detour over the Red Sea to avoid both Saudi and Iranian airspace when flying to India. The route adds about two hours to flight duration.
The Israeli carrier has previously protested against the news, saying it puts it at a disadvantage.
Each year, thousands of Israelis visit India. The country is a popular destination for young travellers fresh off their compulsory military service.
Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the new route in July, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggesting it was the first step towards Israeli flights following suit.
Saudi Arabia has no official diplomatic relations with Israel, but the two countries are both close Washington allies and arch-rivals of Iran.
Riyadh has maintained public silence on Israeli hints of covert ties with the kingdom.
El Al, Israel's national carrier, currently takes a detour over the Red Sea to avoid both Saudi and Iranian airspace when flying to India. The route adds about two hours to flight duration.
The Israeli carrier has previously protested against the news, saying it puts it at a disadvantage.
Each year, thousands of Israelis visit India. The country is a popular destination for young travellers fresh off their compulsory military service.
Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
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