Saudi Arabia will open its airspace to all civilian aircraft on Friday (July 15), marking the beginning of flights coming directly from Israel to the Gulf country. US President Joe Biden, who is on an ongoing visit to the two countries, said he would become the first American President to take a flight from Israel to Jeddah, and that the Gulf kingdom “can help build momentum toward Israel’s further integration into the region”. Flights to Israel from many countries could not so far fly through Saudi airspace, as the two countries do not have diplomatic ties owing to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This is the latest step in the gradual movement towards the normalising of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and Israel and Gulf countries as a whole. In 2018, in a rare move, Saudi Arabia had allowed Air India flights from India to Israel to fly through its airspace. In 2020, Israel-United Arab Emirates flights were allowed to fly above Saudi Arabia. Saving fuel, time, environment The change in policy will help aircraft save fuel and cut their carbon footprint, and reduce travel time for passengers. The Arab kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a press release that it was keen to fulfill obligations under the Chicago Convention of 1944, “which stipulates non-discrimination between civil aircraft used in international air navigation”. 'Global hub' of aviation The Saudi release said that the move would help the country to consolidate its position as a “global hub” connecting three continents. Hubs in neighbouring UAE, such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are used by many passengers flying between Asia and Europe or Africa. Jeddah or Riyadh have similar locational advantages that the Saudi government can potentially exploit to draw in a larger share of the global passenger aviation business. Making Hajj easier Another change would be the easier passage to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage for Israel’s Muslims, a minority community in the country. Esawi Frej, a Muslim minister in the Israeli cabinet, had said, “I want to see the day when I can depart from Ben-Gurion to Jeddah to fulfill my religious obligation” to an Israeli radio station while referring to Israel’s main airport, The New York Times reported. US, Saudi Arabia, Israel This move is being interpreted as both signalling and facilitating a better range of cooperation among the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Both West Asian countries have been traditional allies of the US, and both also have regional rivalries with Iran, but Saudi-Israeli ties have been strained. With the Russia-Ukraine war taking a heavy toll on economies around the world, and given America's tensions and rivalry with China, Washington would like to draw its allies as close together as it can. With global oil prices soaring, the White House welcomed a recent decision by OPEC+ nations, a grouping of oil-supplying countries led by Saudi Arabia, to increase crude supply. President Joe Biden would especially like to forget his earlier harsh words for Saudi Arabia following the murder of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly on the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Over the last few years, nudged along by the United States under both Presidents Donald Trump and Biden, relations between Israel and the Arab world have improved.
