Air India will begin its first direct flights from New Delhi to Tel Aviv through the use of Saudi airspace, which the foreign ministry described as "a great diplomatic and economic achievement."
The site of the newspaper "Jeruslim Post" this morning, it is the first time the authorities allow any foreign airlines company, flying in its airspace on its way to Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry attributed this development to the "efforts" made by the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that the latter employed his relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi in achieving what she described as "diplomatic and economic achievement."
According to a ministry statement, the Saudi move will improve economic conditions in Israel by encouraging Indian businessmen to invest in Israel and increasing the number of Indian tourists.
The Foreign Ministry also noted that Israel expects Saudi Arabia to allow more airlines operating in Southeast Asia to conduct flights to Israel by flying through its airspace. According to data from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, there was a 47% increase in the number of tourists who arrived in Israel last year, compared to the previous year.
More international airlines are awaiting Saudi approval for flights to Israel, the report said, stressing that such development will improve competitiveness in the Israeli civil aviation market. The newspaper recalled the fact that Saudi Arabia's allowing Indian Airlines to fly in its airspace would reduce the cost of travel and significantly reduce flight time.
The Jerusalem Post quoted former Israeli undersecretary of state Duri Gold as saying that Saudi Arabia's permission to fly Indian planes to Israel was "a step towards normalization between the two sides."
The Hebrew radio last week revealed that Yitzhak Molcho, Netanyahu's former envoy for secret missions is the one who began to persuade the Saudis to agree to open their airspace for flights to Israel.
The radio said that following the resignation of Mulko because of suspicions of involvement in corruption cases, the new national security adviser Meir Ben Shabat, the task of working to push Riyadh to approve the Israeli request.
Two months ago, official sources in Riyadh denied reports that Indian Airways flights to Israel were allowed to fly in Saudi airspace.
