RIYADH – The civil aviation authority of Saudi Arabia has denied anyauthorization for flights between India and Israel using its airspace.

A spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in SaudiArabia said the no authority has given permission to Air India, theAlArabiya reported on Wednesday.

The clarification comes two days after Air India announced that it plans tostart direct flights to Israel and has proposed to travel through closedSaudi airspace.

A spokesman for Air India said the state-owned carrier had ordered threeflights a week between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. He added that the Indianairlines are waiting for approval to cross Saudi airspace in those flights.

Israeli airlines El Al currently operates four flights a week to Mumbai,but takes seven hours instead of five because they take a southern routetowards Ethiopia and then east to India, where they cannot cross Saudiairspace.

The airline said its maiden flight 139 took off from New Delhi on Thursdayand landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after flying over the Islamickingdom, heralding a new shift in diplomatic policy of Riyadh that does notrecognise Israel as a state.

“This is really a historical moment…We are in a new era. I am sure that wewill see many more Indian tourists coming to Israel…and Israelis would alsocome to India in much higher numbers,” Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levintold Press Trust of India.

According to the airline, the flight “will operate every Tuesday, Thursdayand Sunday”.