On Monday night, a commercial flight transporting 128 Israelis from the Seychelles to Tel Aviv made an impromptu stop in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
An electrical issue forced Air Seychelles flight HM022 to land, even though the pilots did not signal an emergency touchdown.
“Everyone on board is safe, and only a short while ago, a replacement flight left [for Jeddah, in order to return the passengers and continue their travel to Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has been informed, according to a statement from Air Seychelles.
Jerusalem’s Foreign Ministry stated that it was working toward a “quick, safe solution.” The Israeli travelers remained the night in Jeddah at the airport hotel.
Tuesday morning saw the departure of the replacement flight for Israel. In a video message on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, ” very much appreciate the warm attitude of the Saudi authorities toward the Israeli passengers, whose plane was in distress and had to make an emergency landing.“ I’m happy that everyone is returning home. “I appreciate your nice neighborliness,” he continued.
Saudi Arabia stated in July 2022 that its airspace was now open to “all carriers”, allowing Israeli commercial aircraft to fly over the country and significantly shorten travel times from the Jewish state to popular Asian locations.
Flights that run into trouble überflying Saudi Arabia are required to land at King Abdulaziz International Airport, also known as Jeddah International Airport.
A deal to permit direct flights for its Muslim residents to travel to Mecca for the yearly Hajj Pilgrimage is also being negotiated in Jerusalem.
The Biden Administration informed the Israeli Government this week, that, if a Normalization Agreement with Saudi Arabia is to take place, Israel would need to make significant concessions to the Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced optimism that his Administration may bring about some sort of Rapprochement with Riyadh in the upcoming months during an interview with Bloomberg Television earlier this month.
“Normalization and official peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be achieved, if there is political desire to do so. I’d wager on that, added Netanyahu.
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