Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace for the first time to an Israel-bound passenger plane, breaking a 70-year-ban on commercial jets flying over the Arab kingdom to reach the Jewish state.
While Riyadh does not formally recognise Israel, Thursday night’s (22 March) touchdown by the Air India flight in Tel Aviv signalled a thawing of relations between the two countries which share a common enemy in Iran.
The flight has cast light on the historically secretive ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia that continue to grow out of a joint fear of Iran.
