Israel's national airline El Al has asked an industry lobby group to help it access Saudi Arabian airspace, so it can compete with Air India's planned route between India and Israel.
The request came in a letter on Wednesday from El Al's chief executive to the International Air Transport Association, in which he said he has also approached Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Saudi Arabia does not officially recognize Israel, although unofficial relations between Israel and a number of Arab U.S. allies have thawed recently in light of shared concern over Iranian influence in the region. However, granting an Israeli airline access to Saudi airspace, thereby lifting a 70-year-old ban, would mark a dramatic diplomatic shift.
The appeal is a response to plans revealed by Air India last month to begin operating direct flights to Tel Aviv, which pass through Saudi airspace – a shorter route that has thus far been off-limits to all Israel-bound commercial planes.
There has been no official announcement on whether Air India has received permission to fly over Saudi soil for its proposed flights, which the airline plans to operate three times per week.
El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin has now turned to the head of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac, saying he understood no such permission would be granted to Israeli jetliners and asking Juniac to step in to prevent "an uneven playing field."
"I am approaching you and kindly asking IATA to intervene and to represent the aviation industry's interest by advocating equal overfly rights for all carriers over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and opposing any form of discrimination," Usishkin wrote in the letter.
IATA's membership includes 280 airlines in 120 countries.
El Al has yet to receive a response.
The Israeli national airline currently flies four weekly flights to Mumbai, but these take seven hours rather than five as they take a route south towards Ethiopia and then east to India, circumventing Saudi airspace. Shortening the route would also be a significant cost-cutter.
Air India has not received any communication yet from the aviation regulator, a company spokesman said when asked whether the airline had received permission to operate flights to Israel over the Saudi airspace.
The proposed India-Israel route is a result of strengthening ties between the two countries.
Usishkin, who became CEO two weeks ago, said in his letter that Air India's flights were scheduled to begin on March 6, citing slot information from Israel's Airports Authority.
