Bahrain, like Saudi Arabia, has no official diplomatic relations with Israel, but their decision to allow overflights marks a sign of cooperation with the Jewish state.
“Bahrain will allow all flights coming to and departing from the United Arab Emirates to all countries to cross its airspace,” reported the official Bahrain News Agency.
Bahrain would only be on the flight path between Israel and the UAE if flights were allowed over Qatar, which has not signaled any willingness for warming ties with the Jewish state.
However, a decades old agreement gives Bahrain control of much of Qatar’s airspace, according to a report by Axios, meaning the move could potentially cut flying time by about 20 minutes.
On Monday, an Israeli El Al jet flew for the first time over Saudi Arabia to the UAE carrying a US-Israeli delegation to mark Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem agreeing to formalize their long-secret ties.
The plane flew over Riyadh and then took a slightly circular route skirting the northern Omani border, before landing in the Emirati capital.
An overhead screen displays a map showing the flight route of an El Al plane from Israel en route to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The El Al plane carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi completed the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight to the UAE. The Israeli flag carrier’s flight Monday marks the implementation of the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the Israel and the UAE. (Nir Elias/Pool Photo via AP)
