Israel-bound airliner enters Saudi airspace for first time
A commercial airliner flying to Tel Aviv crossed through the skies of Saudi Arabia for the first time Thursday, ending an era when a direct route was impossible because of Middle East tensions. Air India flight 139 took off from New Delhi and passed over Oman before traversing the border into Saudi airspace. It landed in Tel Aviv shortly after 10 pm, a 7-hour flight. Israel Transport minister Israel Katz declared it a breakthrough. The flight is the “first civilian connection with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states,” he said. Flying between New Delhi and Tel Aviv ordinarily takes 9 hours because planes are routed over the Arabian Sea, flying west over the Horn of Africa to avoid Saudi Arabia and north across the Red Sea to reach Israel. The Jewish state and the Saudi kingdom do not have diplomatic relations. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2018-03-26/star/israel-bound-airliner-enters-saudi-airspace-for-first-time
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Israel-bound airliner enters Saudi airspace for first time
A commercial airliner flying to Tel Aviv crossed through the skies of Saudi Arabia for the first time Thursday, ending an era when a direct route was impossible because of Middle East tensions. Air India flight 139 took off from New Delhi and passed over Oman before traversing the border into Saudi airspace. It landed in Tel Aviv shortly after 10 pm, a 7-hour flight. Israel Transport minister Israel Katz declared it a breakthrough. The flight is the “first civilian connection with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states,” he said. Flying between New Delhi and Tel Aviv ordinarily takes 9 hours because planes are routed over the Arabian Sea, flying west over the Horn of Africa to avoid Saudi Arabia and north across the Red Sea to reach Israel. The Jewish state and the Saudi kingdom do not have diplomatic relations. <br/>
