Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Israeli airlines

Ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's aviation authority announced that it has opened its airspace to all civilian carriers, including Israel.

In a statement, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said that the country’s airspace was now open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights, in line with international conventions that say there should be no discrimination between civil aircraft.

On the other hand, President Joe Biden, who is set to fly to the kingdom from Israel on Friday as part of a regional tour, welcomed Saudi Arabia’s move.

“This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, and for the security and prosperity of Israel,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

In a guest article for The Washington Post earlier this week, Biden said he was happy he would be the first president to fly directly from Israel to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday, calling the trip a “small symbol of the blossoming relations and steps towards normalization between Israel and the Arab world”.