Welcoming everyone Israel Tourism Ministry lauds Saudi’s ‘historic’ move of opening its airspace for Air India to fly to Israel

NewsBharati    26-Mar-2018
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Tel Aviv, March 26: “Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace for Air India to fly to Israel; I think it is a great move. I hope many more people will come to Israel and there will be peace in the region,” said Hasan Madah, India's Head, Israel Ministry of Tourism. 

 
After Air India inked a MoU to fly to Israel over Saudi Arabia; Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Saudi Arabia gave nod to an airline flying through to Tel Aviv to use its airspace. This MoU stands as most significant as Saudi Arabia did not recognize Israel and had banned any flights to the country from using its airspace for more than 70 years. 

Also Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said “This is really a historical moment. We are in a new era. I am sure that we will see many more Indian tourists coming to Israel…and Israelis would also come to India in much higher numbers,”.

 

The Air India Flight after it reached Ben Gurion Airport was welcomed with Water Cannon Salute. To celebrate this historic flight, many events were held like cake cutting ceremony, singing ceremony to welcome the Air India flight.

This significant move was impossible that got transformed into possible due to the efforts of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India –Israel relationships are touching new highs after this travel connection.

On 23rd March, Air India flight AI 139 from New Delhi to Tel Aviv landed at Ben Gurion Airport bringing India Israel little more closer diplomatically. This opened up a new chapter in the India-Israel friendship and also ending a decades-old overfly ban by Saudi Arabia. Meantime also India- Saudi relations are also positively evolving.

Terming as “historic” the moment on arrival of the national carrier’s maiden flight to Tel Aviv, Indian Ambassador to Israel Pavan Kapoor earlier said a lot of efforts had gone into it over the last two years with a strong vision and support for the initiative from the prime ministers of both the countries. He said the initiative would strengthen the relationship between the two countries in various spheres, including political, trade and cultural. Air India Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Pradeep Kharola said the Air India direct flight has the shortest route connecting New Delhi and Tel Aviv and will bring people of the two countries closer.