Air India to fly over Saudi Arabia for Israel: Netanyahu

Currently, El Al Israel Airlines offers direct flights from Israel to India, with a Tel Aviv-Mumbai route.

In order to avoid Saudi Arabia, which has hitherto forbidden flights to and from Israel over its airspace, the plane must detour over the Red Sea and around the Arabian peninsula, adding over two hours to the journey.

The Indian airline's ability to fly over Saudi Arabia would substantially reduce the flight time. Netanyahu stressed the planes would not be able to fly over Iran, Iraq and Pakistan -- other countries with which Israel has no diplomatic ties, the Times of Israel reported.

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The "agreement" marked a significant achievement as Jerusalem attempts to upgrade its relationship with Riyadh, the report said.

While no formal ties exist between Israel and Saudi Arabia, it was revealed by Israeli officials over the last several months that there had been covert contacts between the two countries, according to a Jerusalem Post report.

Netanyahu, who visited India in January, acknowledged the agreement could hurt El Al. During the India trip, Netanyahu had said that an "efficient and direct route" between the countries was an important goal.