Sudan allows flights to Israel to use its airspace for the first time

Sudan has for the first time allowed flights travelling to Israel to use its airspace, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously expressed interest in opening Sudanese airspace as it would almost three hours off flight times from Israel to South America, the fourth most popular destination for Israelis.

The move comes after a controversial meeting last month between Netanyahu and the interim leader of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, which caused widespread uproar over the perceived normalisation of ties between the two countries.

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Al-Burhan heads Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, a transitional institution that includes representatives of the military and civilian protesters that put an end to Omar Al-Bashir’s 30-year rule last year.

The air corridor has been the most prominent development discussed publicly by both sides and an initial approval to fly over its territory was given only two days after the meeting, according to Daily Sabah.

Last month also saw the first flight of an Israeli airplane into Sudanese airspace, Netanyahu announced last month during the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem.