Riyadh said that the decision had been made to “consolidate the kingdom’s position as a world hub”, the kingdom intends to triple its annual traffic. A historical announcement since a flight has never taken place between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Le Monde with AFP
Saudi Arabia announced on Friday July 15 that it opened its air space to “all carriers”, in a gesture of apparent good will towards Israel while the American president Joe Biden is expected in the kingdom, in Djedda , during the day. The announcement de facto lifts the restrictions for planes at their destination and from Israel.
The civil aviation authority specified, via a press release, that the decision had been made to “consolidate the position of the kingdom as a world hub”.
Joe Biden will also go directly from Israel to Riyadh, an unprecedented flight between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a country which does not officially recognize the Hebrew State.
By a press release from Jake Sullivan, the president, the president welcomed a “historic” decision and welcomes that the diplomatic work provided by Washington with Riyadh, bears fruit. “This decision opens the way to a better integrated, more on and more stable Middle East, which is vital for the United States and American citizens, but also for the security and prosperity of Israel.”
At the beginning of May, Saudi Arabia had announced its intention to become a world hub in air transport and to triple its annual traffic, to reach 330 million passengers by the end of the decade. Ryad also plans to inject $ 100 billion into the sector by 2030, launching a new national airline and building a new “mega airport” in the capital. Analysts, however, question the ability of Saudi companies to compete with other regional heavy goods vehicles, such as Emirates or Qatar Airways.