Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan announced, on Saturday, that Saudi Arabia’s decision this week to lift restrictions imposed on all airlines to use its airspace is not an indication of any push towards establishing a future relationship with Israel.
In a press conference following the Jeddah Security and Development Summit, which was attended by US President Joe Biden, Faisal bin Farhan said: “This has nothing to do with diplomatic relations with Israel,” adding that “it is not in any way a prelude to subsequent steps.”
And on Friday, hours before the arrival of the US president to the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia announced the opening of its airspace to “all air carriers.”
Biden was quick to praise the decision, calling it “historic.”
For his part, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, noted that “this decision is the result of President Biden’s intensive diplomacy with Saudi Arabia over several months.”
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement on Twitter that it had decided to “open the kingdom’s airspace to all air carriers” that meet the requirements for transiting the country’s airspace.
– Civil Aviation Authority (@ksagaca) July 14, 2022
This announcement effectively lifts restrictions on flights to and from Israel.
The Civil Aviation Authority indicated that this decision came “to complement the efforts aimed at consolidating the Kingdom’s position as a global platform linking the three continents, and to enhance international air connectivity.”
