In a first, a Saudi Arabian passenger plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday night for technical maintenance.
The aircraft, an Airbus A330, arrived from Brussels with no passengers on board, according to a report in Ynet news Wednesday.
The aircraft is owned by a European company and leased to Saudia — Saudi Arabia’s government-owned national airline.
As per the directions of the company, the plane landed in Israel for routine upkeep by Bedek, an Israeli company contracted by Israel Aircraft Industries.
An IAI spokesperson confirmed the plane’s arrival and said that the “ongoing and routine maintenance” of the Airbus passenger plane was part of the services Ben Gurion provided to the aircraft manufacturer.
Like most Arab countries, Saudi Arabia does not officially recognize Israel, and there are no direct or indirect flights between the two countries.
