Air India has signed a contract with Israeli airlines El Al to launch direct flights between Delhi and Tel Aviv, passing through the Saudi skies, Felesteen.ps reported Tuesday.

Citing a report by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Felesteen.ps said that the two airlines signed the contract in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India.

Yedioth Ahronoth said that Netanyahu’s visit to India aimed to reach deals related to energy, technology, cinema and other sectors, noting that the “air bridge through Saudi is considered a normalisation step without introductions.”

Israeli politicians, according to Yedioth Ahronoth, said that the contract between the Indian and Israeli airlines was the most important achievement of Netanyahu’s visit to India because it would cut two hours out of an eight-hour flight, leading to a reduction in the costs of flight tickets and aircraft fuel.

The newspaper said that India and Israel are waiting for Saudi Arabia to accept the passage of the aircrafts owned by the two airlines through its skies.

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