Egyptian national airline EgyptAir will begin operating direct flights between Cairo and Tel Aviv in October, according to the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (IBPC).
Flights between Tel Aviv and Cairo have been operating continuously since the 1980s, in compliance with the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, but they remained semi-secret.
Currently, Sinai Air is the only company that provides flights between Egypt and Israel on unmarked planes that do not carry the Egyptian flag or the company’s logo.
Egypt will include direct flights for the first time since the peace agreement in 1979, from Cairo to Tel Aviv with planes bearing the company’s full logo and marks, where flights between the two countries were previously limited to the Suez.
The company will fly with its official aircraft, and not under its brand, which is Sinai Airlines, the Times of Israel reported.
This decision comes after the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Sharm El Sheikh, which, according to the IBPC, appeared to pave the way for increased transportation connections between the countries.
Bennett was the first Israeli prime minister to publicly visit Egypt since his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu met with former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 in the same Red Sea resort on the southern tip of Sinai.
The meeting dealt with “bilateral relations and issues of common concern in light of the dangers surrounding the region, in addition to efforts to revive peace talks.”
‘Together, we can strengthen the ties between our two countries and work toward a more stable, secure & prosperous future for the region’ Israeli Prime Minister Naftali said on Twitter.
“We discussed a series of issues in the diplomatic, security and economic spheres, as well as ways to deepen ties and strengthen the interests of our countries,” Bennett said.
Bennett and El Sisi also discussed regional issues, including Iran’s influence in the Middle East and the crisis in Lebanon.
Bennett told reporters, “I just finished a first visit with the Egyptian president. The meeting was very important and very good. We built during the meeting, in the forefront of the matter, the infrastructure to establish a solid relationship, in preparation for continuing contacts between us.”
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