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Israeli plane en route to Abu Dhabi.
So far, planes from Israel have only been allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia in exceptional cases
Photo: Christopher Pike / REUTERS
A symbolic gesture approaches hope for a diplomatic rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom is opening its airspace to "all airlines," taking a step closer to Israel.
The decision should end the overflight ban on Israeli aircraft, which had been relaxed somewhat in recent years.
US President Biden, who is currently on a state visit to Israel and wanted to travel to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Friday, praised the step taken by the Saudi leadership as a "historic decision".
Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations, and the government in Riyadh does not recognize the country as a state.
This is probably one of the reasons why the official statement from the Saudi side does not expressly refer to Israel.
The two sides have been working together behind the scenes for a long time, for example on security issues.
They feel threatened by the common enemy Iran and are concerned about its growing influence in the region.
The White House released a statement by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, saying: "President Biden welcomes and commends Saudi Arabia's leadership's historic decision to open Saudi airspace to all civilian airlines without discrimination, a decision that also includes flights to and from Israel." The step paves the way to a "more integrated, stable and secure Middle East," which is essential "for the security and well-being of Israel."
Actually, there was an almost complete ban on overflights over Saudi Arabia for flights to and from Israel.
The Gulf monarchy has already lifted this for flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The two Gulf countries established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, mediated by the United States.
Now the kingdom seems poised for a further opening up when it comes to airspace.
No more long detours from Asian countries
The announcement that has now been published means shorter flight times for travelers from Asian countries such as Thailand and China, who previously had to put up with long detours on the way to Israel.
An exception has been in effect since 2018 for the Indian airline Air India on the way to and from Tel Aviv, which shortens their flight times by more than two hours.
In 2020, according to a report, Saudi air traffic control also supported an Israeli plane on its way to India, which had to fly over Saudi Arabia due to storms.
The pilots said the help was "really nice".
Biden wanted to fly to Saudi Arabia on Friday as “the first President of Israel to Jeddah”, as he emphasized in a guest article for the Washington Post.
The trip is a "small symbol of the blossoming relations and steps towards normalization between Israel and the Arab world," he wrote.
Former US President George W. Bush had already flown from Tel Aviv to Riyadh in 2008, Biden's predecessor Donald Trump flew the same route in the opposite direction in 2017.
For Biden, it is the first visit to the Middle East since taking office a year and a half ago.
As part of the so-called Abraham Agreements, several Arab states have now established relations with Israel, mediated by the United States.
Accession by Saudi Arabia is currently considered unlikely.
asc/dpa/AFP