ISLAMABAD – Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday its approval of a request bythe United Arab Emirates (UAE) to allow Emirati flights to and from Israelto cross its airspace.
According to a statement by the General Authority for Civil Aviation(GACA), Riyadh approved a request from its Emirati counterpart to allow allflights from and to the Gulf state to fly over Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi move was quickly welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu, saying: “I have been working for years on opening the sky ofIsrael towards the east.”
He pointed out that this will shorten the time of flights and reduce thecost for Israelis.
Netanyahu thanked US Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner and Abu Dhabi CrownPrince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for their contributions.
On Monday, the first Israeli commercial flight landed in the UAE as a firstmanifestation of the agreement to normalize ties between the two countries.
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Monday’s Israeli plane crossed Saudi airspace, thereby the flying hoursbetween Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi recessed to less than three and a half hourscompared to seven hours in the past.
While the Saudi decision did not include a ban on any country, it isexpected that Israel will operate its flights to the UAE through Saudiairspace, as happened during the Monday’s flight.
On Aug. 13, the UAE and Israel announced a US-brokered agreement tonormalize their relations, including opening embassies in each other’sterritory.
The Palestinian Authority and resistance factions have denounced theUAE-Israel deal, saying it does not serve the Palestinian cause and ignoresthe rights of Palestinians. Anadolu Agency
