Flights headed to “Israel” flew over Saudi airspace
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After Riyadh has decided to allow flights from “Israel” to cross Saudi airspace, a Cathay Pacific plane from Hong Kong to “Tel Aviv” flies over the kingdom.
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A Cathay Pacific Airways (Archive)
Cathay Pacific and Air Seychelles flew over Saudi Arabia for the first time on Thursday, as per aviation data, after Riyadh announced last month that it would open its airspace to all airlines, paving the way for more overflights to and from “Israel”.
The Cathay Pacific flight took off from Hong Kong and was scheduled to land in “Tel Aviv” on Thursday morning.
The plane flew over the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf before crossing the Saudi coastline near Damman, according to a flight tracking service.
The plane flew over northern Saudi Arabia and Jordan before landing in occupied Palestinian territories north of the Dead Sea.
It is worth noting that Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia are still waiting for final approval from Saudi Arabia to start using its airspace, which they expect to receive by the end of the week as per Israeli Channel 13. Yet a conflicting report by Israeli public broadcaster Kan stated that the two airlines have already been granted the approval, which signals a dangerously rapid entrenchment in normalization practices.
Saudi Arabia announced last month that it had opened its airspace to all civilian overflights, just hours before US President Joe Biden became the first US leader to fly directly from “Israel” to the Kingdom.
"The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announces the decision to open the Kingdom's airspace for all air carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying," GACA said in a statement on Twitter.
GACA claims the decision comes as part of Riyadh's desire to fulfill its obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, which stipulates non-discrimination between civil aircraft used in international air navigation, as well as to complement the country's "efforts aimed at consolidating the Kingdom's position as a global hub connecting three continents and to enhance international air connectivity."
It goes without saying that the Israeli occupation cannot but be thankful to Saudi Arabia for its incremental step toward official normalization.
It is noteworthy that former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Joseph Westphal, has lately considered that Riyadh and "Tel Aviv" normalizing ties is "inevitable".
"I think [normalization is] coming, that's absolutely coming, and it's inevitable. It's inevitable," Westphal told The National News last July. Westphal was once Washington's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Obama administration from 2014 until 2017.
He said that Saudi Arabia and the Israeli occupation have been working closely together in technology, cyberspace, economy, and security, hinting that Riyadh and "Tel Aviv" would grow closer soon.
