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Saudi Arabia, Bahrain agree to open airspace to flights east from Israel

The development will drastically reduce flight times between Israel and Asian countries.

An Israir plane at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Aug. 8, 2020. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90.
An Israir plane at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Aug. 8, 2020. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have agreed to open their airspace to flights east from Israel, announced senior adviser to the U.S. president Jared Kushner on Wednesday.

The development will drastically reduce flight times between Israel and Asian countries.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain agreed to allow flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to use their airspace.

Following the U.S.-brokered agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a joint U.S.-Israeli delegation flew from Israel to the UAE on Aug. 31 and used Saudi airspace to do so.

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