Flight marks end of 70year ban
An Air India Boeing 7878 Dreamliner plane receives a water cannon salute yesterday on landing at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel. Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel with the inauguration yesterday of an Air India route between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. Air India 139 landed at Ben Gurion Airport after a flight of over 71⁄2 hours, marking a diplomatic shift for Riyadh that Israel says was fuelled by shared concern over Iranian influence in the region. ‘‘This is a really historic day that follows two years of very, very intensive work,’’ Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said in a radio interview. Using Saudi airspace would cut travel time to India by about two hours and reduce ticket prices, he said. Saudi Arabia — birthplace of Islam and home to its holiest shrines — does not recognise Israel. Riyadh has not formally confirmed granting the Air India plane overflight rights. The move ended a 70yearold ban on planes flying to or from Israel through Saudi airspace. There was no indication Israeli airlines would seek the same right.