Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in a decision welcomed by US President Joe Biden who is due to visit the kingdom on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the country\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The decision will \u201ccomplement the efforts aimed at consolidating the kingdom\u2019s position as a global hub connecting three continents and to enhance international air connectivity,\u201d GACA added in a statement.<\/p>\n
Bypassing Saudi Arabian airspace had added to flight times and increased fuel burn on some services to and from Israel.<\/p>\n
US President Joe Biden welcomed the decision, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis 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,\u201d Sullivan said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Thursday, a US official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia would soon grant Israeli airlines unfettered overflight access and permit direct charter flights from Israel for Muslims participating in the annual Haj pilgrimage in Makkah.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia, Islam\u2019s birthplace, does not recognise Israel and has said nothing of possible bilateral developments during Biden\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n
Israel has also shied from drawing such links.<\/p>\n
Despite the absence of official ties, Saudi Arabia had agreed in 2020 to allow Israel-United Arab Emirates flights to cross its territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in a decision welcomed by US President Joe Biden who is due to visit the kingdom on Friday. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the country\u2019s airspace was now open […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-271368","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n