Israel, Egypt Launch First Direct Flights From Tel Aviv to Sharm El-Sheikh

The first direct flight from Tel Aviv to Sharm el-Sheikh will take off next month, following an agreement between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi.

Israel and Egypt agreed on Wednesday to expand direct flights between the two countries.

The two leaders discussed expanding direct flights between Israel and Egypt in a meeting in September. An agreement was reached over the past few days by an Israeli delegation, led by the Shin Bet security service, and the Egyptians regarding security for the new flight route.

"This is another step in warming the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt," Bennett said. "Cooperation between the two countries is expanding into many areas, and it benefits both nations, as well as regional stability."

He added, "Israel is opening up to more countries in the region, and the basis for this longstanding recognition is the peace between Israel and Egypt. Therefore, on both sides, we must invest in strengthening this connection, and that is what we're doing."

In October, Egypt's national carrier opened a flight route from Cairo to Tel Aviv, weeks after the September meeting between Bennett and Sissi in Sinai.

The EgyptAir flight, which left from Cairo, was the first official EgyptAir arrival in Israel since the signing of the 1979 peace accord. Previously, flights between Israel and Egypt had been operated by Air Sinai, a subsidiary of EgyptAir, which carried no national flags or identification.