Published 15:20 IST, August 31st 2020
Historic first Israel-UAE plane carrying officials takes off from Ben Gurion Airport
The 3 hours, 20-minute flight was part of resumption of air travel between Israel and UAE as a part of normalization of relations and departed with delegates.
An El Al 971 commercial passenger plane carrying the US and Israeli officials on the historic first flight to the United Arab Emirates took off on August 31 and entered Saudi airspace. The three hours, 20-minute flight was a part of the resumption of air travel between Israel and UAE as a part of normalization of relations. Saudi allowing the Israeli plane to cross its airspace makes travel viable commercial between the Gulf countries and Israel, which otherwise, would consume seven hours and more jet fuel, according to reports. UAE’s long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways are would most likely be involved in future travels.
As per the reports, the carrier was boarded by high-level Israeli and US delegations and was bound for Abu Dhabi for delegates meeting on civil and economic aspects of the normalization of the deal between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi. It departed from Ben Gurion Airport making history at 10:30 a.m and is expected to land at 3:05 p.m, according to the Israeli Airline Pilots Association, which released a tentative map of 971’s route on August 30. The plane will slate through Saudi airspace. However, in an official statement until yesterday, the Israeli pilots union stressed that the route was uncertain and to their knowledge hadn’t been approved by the Saudi government. Over the years, Saudi Arabia has allowed only the Air India flights bound for Israel to use its airspace. The gulf nation prohibited Israeli airlines to fly over the nation, and therefore, the planes took a long detour via the Red Sea, as per the local Israeli reports.
In a change of events, marking a historic decision, Saudi Arabia authorized the use of its airspace after receiving a request from Washington this morning. A local Saudi broadcaster cited the high-level American delegation aboard the plane as the reason for the change in the Saudi government’s decision. The flight number LY971 was a nod to the UAE’s international calling code, the Saudi and Israeli media reported as the plane prepared to take off from the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. On return, the jet will be numbered as LY972, as per Israel’s international calling code.
Plane has peace logo emblem in Arabic
While there is news of two nations co-operating covertly, Israel in an open warm gesture to Saudi painted a large peace logo emblem in Arabic alongside English and Hebrew as it flies across the Saudi Arabia airspace first time ever. Speaking during a press conference alongside US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner and US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien hailed Saudi’s decision. Israeli PM in a press conference held immediately after lauded the agreement, saying, Israel’s normalization of ties with the UAE will pave the way for treaties with more Arab countries. He mentioned, at the presser critically to having removed the “Palestinian veto” between the Jewish state and the Arab world.
(Image Credit: AP)
Updated 15:20 IST, August 31st 2020