Air India has been allowed by Saudi Arabia to fly over its territory on its new route from New Delhi to Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said here on Tuesday, a move which would slash travel time between the two cities by two and a half hours.
India’s national carrier Air India is scheduled to begin its direct flight between New Delhi and Tel Aviv soon.
Interacting with reporters after his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Netanyahu said that Air India has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to use its airspace.
“Air India signed an agreement on Tuesday to fly to Israel over Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said that Saudi Arabia has not granted overfly permission to Israeli national carrier El Al, which operates four weekly flights to Mumbai.
Israel does not have diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, but it was reported that the two nations have been working covertly on their shared security concerns over Iran after the 2015 nuclear accord, which both governments strongly opposed.
Such a permission by Saudi Arabia would reduce the air travel time from New Delhi to Tel Aviv by Air India from about eight hours to five and a half hours, Netanyahu said.
Since El Al’s flights will take longer and be more expensive, as the planes consume more fuel because they fly a longer, more circuitous route, the Israeli prime minister said he is in talks with the national carrier to ensure that it does not get hurt economically.
Netanyahu did not elaborate, thought it seems he was hinting at subsidies, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Meanwhile in New Delhi, an Air India spokesperson reacting to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement said, “We are yet to receive any communication from the Indian regulator.”
Air India has sought permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for thrice-a-week flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism will approve a one-time grant of 7,50,000 euros to Air to launch the flight service, an Israeli official had said last month. (DH)
