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Saudi Arabia opens air space to all carriers that follow overflight authority terms
Saudi Arabia's aviation authority announced plans to open its airspace "to all airlines that meet the authority's requirements for overflight" on Thursday night (July 14).
“The General Authority of Civil Aviation announces the decision to open the Kingdom’s air space for all air carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying,” the statement said.
The move will also “consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a global hub connecting three continents,” the statement clarified. Enabling wider access to this crucial air space also allows for greater international air connectivity.
Saudi Arabia has plans to boost airports’ capacity to handle 330 million passengers by 2030, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Duailej, head of GACA, told Al Arabiya news in May.
GACA aims to invest over $100 billion in the aviation sector by 2030, al-Duailej said, adding that investments are expected to be funded by the private and public sector.
Saudi Arabia also aims to increase annual air cargo volumes to 4.5 million by 2030 from 900,000 tons in 2019, of which half would be transiting elsewhere, Mohammed Alkhuraisi, head of strategy at the General Authority of Civil Aviation told Reuters in April.
US President Joe Biden, who is currently on a state visit to Israel and is due to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday, praised the Saudi leadership's move as a "historic decision."
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White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement: “This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, and for the security and prosperity of Israel,”
Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations, with the Gulf kingdom not even recognising Israel as a state, one possible reason why the Saudi statement did not refer to Israel by name, the Anews reported, citing the DPA.
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The announcement of an open skies policy by Riyadh will mean shorter flights from Asia to Israel, as airlines serving those routes will no longer be required to take long detours around Saudi Arabia en route to Israel.
Biden's visit is his first to the Middle East since taking office last year. Several Arab states have established diplomatic relations with Israel in the past few years as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, though despite its step towards rapprochement on Thursday, Saudi Arabia is currently considered unlikely to join them in doing so.
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