Historic Flight to Israel Over Saudi Arabia Takes Off From India
Air India’s inaugural flight to Israel took off from New Delhi on Thursday, as the 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner overflies Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states, countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations.
Overflying Saudi Arabia will considerably shorten flight times between Israel and India. The maiden flight, Air India 139, departed New Delhi at 6 P.M. Indian time Thursday and is due to arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport at 9:45 P.M. Israel time, according to the Air India website. Earlier this month the company said it planned to fly the Delhi-Tel Aviv route three times a week.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to permit Air India to use its airspace has enabled the airline to take a shorter route.
It will cover the distance in 7.25 hours, 2.10 hours less than the time taken by the only other airline that flies between the two countries — Israel’s national carrier El Al.
Many Arab and Islamic nations do not recognise Israel and, therefore, disallow airlines from using their airspace for flight services to that country.
The Delhi-Tel Aviv direct flight is expected to boost tourism in both the countries, besides taking the diplomatic relations to a new level.
The flight will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. While the inaugural flight AI 139 left at 6 pm today, the schedule departure will be 4.50 pm from March 25 when the summer schedule comes into operation.
The state-run carrier will be operating its 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner on this route.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel considers the new route important, noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the matterEl Al flies four weekly flights to Mumbai, but these take seven hours rather than five as they fly south toward Ethiopia and then east to India, avoiding Saudi airspace.
El Al has appealed to the United Nations over a bid to reroute its services between Tel Aviv and India through Saudi airspace as well. El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin said in a letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization that it would be discriminatory for the Saudis to let Air India enter its airspace and not El Al. of the route with his counterpart, Narendra Modi, when the two met in July in Israel and the following January in India. The ministry said the route would also lower fares and boost investment and tourism from India to Israel.
