Netanyahu thanks Saudi Arabia after Israel-bound flight's emergency landing

Jerusalem, Aug 30 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked Saudi authorities for taking care of Israeli passengers whose flight had to make an emergency landing in Jeddah.

Due to a technical malfunction, Air Seychelles HM022, destined for Tel Aviv and carrying 128 Israeli passengers, was forced to land on Monday night in the kingdom, with which Israel doesn't have official ties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Later, a replacement flight was arranged to fly the passengers to their destination, said the Israeli foreign ministry in a statement.

Lisa Dvir, a spokeswoman for Israel's international airport of Ben Gurion, said the airplane landed safely at the airport outside Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon.

"I greatly appreciate the warm attitude of the Saudi authorities to the Israeli passengers whose flight was in distress and was compelled to make an emergency landing in Jeddah," Netanyahu said on Tuesday. "I am pleased that they are all coming home."

The incident marked the first time an Israeli flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia since Riyadh agreed in 2022 to open its airspace for Israeli flights, allowing flights departing from Israel to pass over the Gulf country.