El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) is set to file a complaint with the Israeli Supreme Court over Air India's recently inaugurated service between Mumbai International and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion.
El Al has objected to the route on the grounds that Air India's access to Saudi Arabian transit rights prevents equal and fair competition. Despite recent protests to ICAO and IATA, El Al is still barred from crossing Saudi airspace thus forcing it to fly around the Arabian peninsula on its flights to India.
"The company believes that such a precedent, which is a significant advantage for foreign airlines and prevents equal and fair opportunity, and especially if Israel allows other foreign airlines to fly on shortened routes compared to the routes available to the company, could harm its operations," it said in a disclosure to the Tel Aviv bourse this month.
According to Reuters, El Al has confirmed it intends to bring its complaint to the Supreme Court, but would not give any further details.
Israel's Tourism Minister has since confirmed that he has been in negotiations to open similar routed flights with Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) and a carrier from the Philippines, which he did not name. Singapore Airlines denied the claims while Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) said it was only studying the prospect of flights to Israel.
