JERUSALEM (AP), Sunday's flight by EgyptAir to Israel was the first official direct flight since 1979, when both countries signed a historic peace treaty.
AirSinai, the airline's affiliate has been operating flights to Israel for decades without using the company logo. This was due to public backlash. Three weekly flights will be operated by EgyptAir on the national carrier between Cairo and Tel Aviv.
Tweeted by the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, direct flights are a welcome sign of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly economic.
Last week, GulfAir, Bahrain, flew its first direct flight from Bahrain to Israel. This further cements the commercial ties that were established last year with the signing the Abraham Accords between Israel (and four Arab countries).
Sunday's flight was two weeks after Israeli Prime Min Naftali Bennett visited Egypt for the first time in more than a decade. In a sign that the two countries are warming their ties, he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Sharm el-Sheikh, a Sinai resort town.
Israel lifted a long-standing advisory to citizens regarding travel to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in August. This was seen as a gesture towards its strategic partner.
