Air India to Start Delhi-Tel Aviv Flight on March 22

A new route via Saudi Arabia will cut short travel time between Delhi and Tel Aviv by over two hours.

Image used for representational purposes

(Photo: iStock)

Air India will introduce tri-weekly flights from Delhi to Tel Aviv from 22 March, the airline said on Wednesday, 7 March.

The official announcement from Air India comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters during his visit to the US that Saudi Arabia had given permission to the Indian carrier for flying over its territory on its route from New Delhi to Tel Aviv.

Many Arab and Islamic nations do not recognise Israel and therefore disallow airlines from using their airspace for flight services to that country.

The flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It will depart from New Delhi at 4:50 pm and arrive in Tel Aviv at 8:25 pm. On its return leg, the plane will depart from Tel Aviv at 10:15 pm and land in Delhi at 9 am the day after, according to a statement from Air India.

Air India will operate a Boeing 787 aircraft on the route which will be covered in 7 hours and 10 minutes, an airline spokesperson said.

Acccording to reports, the new route will lead to a shorter flight duration between the two cities by two-and-a-half hours and save fuel costs.

Israel's El Al flights between Tel Aviv and Mumbai take a seven-hour circuitous route and fly over the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and then enter India by avoiding countries that are on the direct flight path such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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