US President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed the historic decision by Saudi Arabia to open its airspace to all civilian carriers, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
"President Biden welcomes and commends the historic decision by the leadership of Saudi Arabia to open Saudi airspace to all civilian carriers without discrimination, a decision that includes flights to and from Israel," read Sullivan's statement.
"This decision is the result of the President’s persistent and principled diplomacy with Saudi Arabia over many months, culminating in his visit today," the statement added.
The Saudi civil aviation authority announced Friday the decision "to open the Kingdom's airspace for all air carriers that meet the requirements of the authority for overflying".
The decision came as a result of the Kingdom’s “keenness to fulfill its obligations under the Chicago Convention of 1944, which stipulates non-discrimination between civil aircrafts used in international air navigation,” the authority said in its statement.
