El Al Boeing 787 -9 jet number 4X-EDA at Ben Gurion Airport., 18 September 2017. Photo by Wikimedia user (LLHZ2805).
Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace to all air carriers in a move that its meant to allow for more overflights to and from Israel.
In a statement released on July 14, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said that the kingdom’s airspace was now open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights, in line with international conventions that say there should be no discrimination between civil aircraft.
The GACA said that the decision will “complement the efforts aimed at consolidating the kingdom’s position as a global hub connecting three continents and to enhance international air connectivity.”
Saudi Arabia’s announcement came as US President Joe Biden is preparing to fly to the kingdom from Israel as part of a regional tour. Biden welcomed the Saudi move.
“This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, and for the security and prosperity of Israel,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
The Saudi move, which is mean to normalize relations with Israel, will allow for shorter flights from Asia to Israel. Air carriers operating on these lines will no longer be required to take long routes around Saudi Arabia before heading to Israel.
In an apparent response to the Saudi move, Israel approved a deal that would cede control of two strategic Red Sea islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials told Axios on July 14 that they had given the green light for the Tiran and Sanafir islands deal to the US. The officials said that the Egyptian-Saudi deal over the two islands, which has been in the making since 2016, was approved by the Israeli prime minister’s office as well as the foreign and defense ministries.
Once he arrive in Saudi Arabia, Biden will reportedly announce the successful brokering of a complicated regional deal that will see Saudi Arabia take steps toward normalization with Israel while taking possession of the two.
The normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is critical to the success of Biden’s Middle Eastern tour which is mainly meant to establish the base of an Israeli-Arab air defense alliance against Iran. Tehran has already announced that it will respond to the US plans.
