Saudi Arabia breaks 72-Year taboo with green light to Israeli flights

Israeli airlines will be allowed to cross through Saudi Arabia on a regular basis, shattering a 72-year taboo as Gulf Arab nations and the Jewish state draw steadily closer together. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia approved a United Arab Emirates request to use the kingdom’s airspace “for all flights coming to the United Arab Emirates and leaving to all countries,” a consequential, if oblique outreach to Israel. The short statement by the state-run Saudi Press Agency was quickly followed by a tweet from the foreign minister. Two days earlier, Saudi Arabia allowed El Al to fly over its territory for the first time to hold a first round of peace talks with the UAE in Abu Dhabi. The opening of Saudi skies, closed because the countries have never had diplomatic relations, reflects the growing willingness by Gulf Arab states to publicly recognize a rapprochement with Israel that’s rooted in a common animosity toward Iran. The political benefits come with a practical boon to airlines and travellers. Flights will no longer have to go down the Red Sea and up the Gulf of Aden to avoid Saudi airspace, which tacked hours and big expenses onto long-haul flights. Two years ago, Saudi Arabia had allowed Air India to fly directly to and from Israel, but permission was withheld from Israeli airlines, at a great disadvantage to them. The lifting of these restrictions will also benefit other airlines, such as Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, which said Tuesday that it started selling tickets to Israeli passengers in the lead-up to normal commercial flights between the UAE and Israel.<br/>