Live Updates: Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after ‘violent incident’ between pilots

The emergency landing of an Israel-bound flight in Saudi Arabia marked a rare mass arrival of Israelis in the kingdom, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Just a few years ago, Israeli airlines and flights to Israel were not even allowed to enter Saudi airspace, forcing Israeli vacationers to take an hour-long detour when traveling east to avoid the vast kingdom.

This changed in 2022, when Riyadh unilaterally allowed Israeli flights to use its airspace as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to normalize relations between the two countries. This is an important step for Israeli aviation, significantly shortening routes to Asia and allowing Wednesday’s Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to fly over Saudi Arabia.

It was not the first time that dozens of Israelis had unexpectedly landed in the kingdom. In 2023, an Air Seychelles flight to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah due to an electrical problem, forcing passengers to stay at an airport hotel. And last year, another Flydubai plane landed in the Saudi capital Riyadh after a passenger suffered a stroke.

Such incidents are seen as rare signs of Saudi-Israeli cooperation, even if formal normalization remains elusive.

The war in Gaza and its devastating humanitarian consequences have hardened Saudi Arabia’s position on recognizing Israel. Riyadh says it will not establish diplomatic relations without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.