Israel’s El Al has requested an airline trade group help it gain permission to fly in Saudi airspace, Reuters reports.
“I am approaching you and kindly requesting IATA to intervene and to represent aviation industry’s interest by advocating equal overfly rights for all carriers over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and opposing any form of discrimination,” El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin tells Alexandre de Juniac, the head of the International Air Transport Association, in a letter quoted by Reuters.
Usishkin also says he asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help on the matter.
The report says the request was made in light of Air India’s announcement last month it’ll begin direct flights to Tel Aviv that fly over Saudi Arabia. Israeli airliners must take a more circuitous route when flying between India and the Jewish state.
While Jerusalem and Riyadh don’t have formal relations, there has been a reported growth in behind the scenes security ties in recent years.
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