Flights to Israel permitted to use Saudi airspace in historic first

Saudi Arabia has approved an Air India request to fly directly from Delhi to Tel Aviv, marking the first time the country will allow flights to Israel use its airspace, reports Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Why it matters: The new route will cut down on flight time by 2.5 hours, saving the airline money on fuel and allowing it to sell cheaper tickets to passengers. Saudi Arabian airspace has been closed to flights traveling to Israel for the past 70 years, and the historic move could signal the warming of relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh.