BICOM

Saudi Arabia has for the first time granted permission for Air India flights to Israel to use its airspace, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

This would be the first time Saudi Arabia has ever allowed commercial flights to Israel to use its airspace. The decision, which will be implemented in March, will decrease the flight time from New Delhi to Tel Aviv by two and a half hours, allowing airlines to reduce fuel costs and sell cheaper tickets to passengers.

Israel’s national airline, El Al, is currently the only airline offering direct flights from Israel to India, with a Tel Aviv-Mumbai route. In order to avoid Saudi Arabia, the plane must detour over the Red Sea in order to circumvent the Arabian Peninsula, adding more than two hours to the journey.

The Saudi Arabia Aviation Authority has denied granting approval, and a spokesman for Air India told Reuters that the airline is still waiting for the Indian aviation regulator to approve the move. The report emerged as Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was visiting Riyadh on an official trip.

The direct flight proposal was part of the agenda during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India last month. Speaking at an economic forum in Mumbai, Netanyahu said the goal was for an “efficient and direct route” to be established between the two countries.

El Al is concerned about being at a competitive disadvantage if it isn’t granted the same clearance. Michael Strausberger, El Al’s vice president, said: “We at El Al, and I assume that other Israeli airlines share our view, hope and believe that Saudi Arabia will also allow Israeli airlines, who fly from or to Israel – and not only foreign airlines – to fly over its territory.”

The approval, if given, would be a significant signal to what many understand to be growing covert relations between Israel and the Gulf states. The countries have no formal diplomatic relations but are thought to share concerns over Iran’s growing regional ambitions and counter-terrorism efforts against global Jihadists.

This measure has been rumoured for several years as part of a wider peace process with the Palestinians, incentivising the Arab world to “normalise” relations with the Jewish state.

If approved, the move could be extended to other destinations in the Far East, which would significantly shorten travel from Israel to Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and the Far East.