Air Seychelles, the national flag carrier of the archipelagic nation, has announced that it has become the first airline flying from and to the Indian Ocean to be allowed to overfly Saudi Arabia while operating its service to Israel. It was only last month that Saudi Arabia announced that it was opening its airspace to flights to and from Israel; previously, such flights had only been permitted in rare cases. The new Saudi policy is a reflection of the dramatic improvement in Arab-Israeli relations in recent years. “The granting of this airspace is very significant for the airline,” highlighted Air Seychelles acting CEO Sandy Benoiton. “The fact that the flight can now fly in a more direct manner and a higher altitude also means a reduction in fuel burn between 500 kg [and] 1 000 kg per flight. In addition to this important environmental benefit, it means the aircraft can now carry an additional 20 passengers per flight and eliminates the payload restriction previously employed.”
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