Egypt's national carrier made its first official direct flight to Israel since the two countries signed a historic 1979 peace treaty as an EgyptAir jet landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The airline's affiliate, AirSinai, has for decades operated flights to Israel without the company logo, out of fear of public backlash. The national carrier will now run three weekly flights between Cairo and Tel Aviv with the EgyptAir markings.

The Israeli embassy in Cairo tweeted that direct flights are "an important and welcome sign of strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, especially economic relations."

Last week, Bahrain's GulfAir made its first direct flight to Israel, further cementing commercial ties established with the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab states last year.

Sunday's flight came two weeks after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made the first public visit to Egypt by an Israeli leader in over a decade. He met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in the Sinai resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in a sign of warming ties between the two countries.

In August, Israel removed a longstanding advisory for citizens wishing to travel to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a move seen as a gesture to its strategic partner.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post First official flight by Egypt's national airline lands in Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Egyptian national air carrier EgyptAir plans to start operating direct flights between Tel Aviv and Cairo in October.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

In March, officials confirmed to i24NEWS that Egypt wanted its national airline to offer direct service to Israel.

EgyptAir is expected to operate the four times a week beginning in October after Sukkot.

Currently, the only flights between Ben-Gurion Airport and Cairo International Airport are operated discreetly by EgyptAir subsidiary Air Sinai, which use unmarked aircraft.

Air Sinai was established in 1982 under the terms of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, which stipulated that there must be active civilian aviation routes between the two countries.

On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on for talks in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, a sign that bilateral ties are warming up.

Egypt has recently been playing a more active role in the region, brokering a ceasefire in May that ended Operation Guardian of the Walls, in which Israel targeted Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

In the months since the conflict ended, Sisi's government has facilitated rebuilding efforts in Gaza and has reportedly offered to host an international peace summit in an attempt to revive peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, which have been suspended since 2014.

This article was first published by i24NEWS

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post EgyptAir launching direct Tel Aviv-Cairo route appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Egyptair has submitted an official request to operate flights to Tel Aviv, unnamed officials confirmed to i24NEWS, Thursday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Egypt is interested in having its national airline operate regular direct flights to and from Israel instead of Air Sinai, which has operated the route for the past decades. Late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had refused to let the state-owned flag carrier land in Israel.

Air Sinai currently operates seven flights a week using two designated aircraft only.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

According to the request, Egypt is looking to replace the smaller company with the national carrier and plans to operate 21 flights a week to Israel.

The development follows Egypt's view that the historic Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have dramatically eased regional tensions and opened new possibilities for travel and commerce.

Cairo believes Egyptair can also benefit financially from the move since Israel serves as a stopover on the route to the African continent, the officials said.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

The post Cairo wants flag carrier to operate direct flights to Tel Aviv appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.