Sudan authorizes direct flights to Israel over its territory

The move comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in February and announced that they would take steps towards normalization.

MARCH 16, 2020 10:44

LATAM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons) — LATAM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

LATAM, Latin America's largest airline group, will be able to fly over Sudan in its direct flights between South America and Israel, after Egypt's southern neighbor authorized direct flights to Israel over its territory for the first time.

The move by Sudan comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in February and announced that they would take steps toward normalization.

Kharthoum's authorization to use the country's airspace is expected to significantly shorten flights between Israel and Latin America. Flights to or from Brazil, for example, will be two hours shorter.

The airline normally operates direct flights from Tel Aviv to Sao Paulo in Brazil and Santiago de Chile three times a week, but its operations have been scaled back due to the spread of the coronavirus.

LATAM announced on Thursday that it will cut international flights by up to 30% in light of the outbreak.

Reuters contributed to this report.