RIYADH (Parliament Politics Magazine) – More overflights to and from Israel will be possible thanks to Saudi Arabia’s announcement of opening its airspace to all air carriers, an indication that the two nations’ ties are improving.
According to international conventions that state there shouldn’t be any discrimination between civil aircraft, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced on Thursday that Saudi’s airspace is now accessible to all carriers that meet its conditions for overflights.
The statement from GACA added that the decision would support the initiatives aimed at reinforcing the kingdom’s position as a worldwide hub connecting three continents and to increase international aviation connectivity.
Shorter flights from Asia to Israel now possible given Riyadh’s proclamation of an open-skies policy since airlines servicing those routes won’t have to take as long of a detour around Saudi Arabia.
Joe Biden, the president of the United States, who will visit the country as part of a regional tour on Friday, applauded Saudi Arabia’s action.
Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser, said in a statement that the decision made way for a more stable, secure and integrated Middle East region, which was crucial for the security and prosperity of the United States and the people of America, and also for the security and prosperity of Israel.
“Blossoming relationships”
One possible explanation for why Israel was not specifically mentioned in the Saudi statement is that Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations and the country does not recognise Israel as a state.
But behind the scenes, the two countries have been collaborating on security concerns for some time because they are both worried about the rising regional influence of their adversary Iran.
In fact, since its two Gulf neighbours established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 through US mediation, Saudi Arabia has permitted planes between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to utilise its airspace.
A report claims that in 2020 Saudi air traffic control permitted an Israeli aircraft headed to India to fly across its airspace to avoid poor weather.
Biden expressed his joy about being the first president to travel directly from Israel to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday in a guest article for The Washington Post. He described the trip as a “small symbol of the blossoming relations and steps towards normalisation between Israel and the Arab world.”
