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(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Foreign Media Adviser) 
 
Israel and Egypt agreed, today (Wednesday, 16 March 2022), to expand direct flights between the two countries, in the framework of which a new route will be opened between Ben-Gurion International Airport and Sharm el-Sheikh.
 
This matter was discussed at the meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in Sharm el-Sheikh last September.
 
This new agreement was formulated by Israel and Egypt over the last few days – and was finalized yesterday in Egypt by an Israeli delegation led by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), following a long process carried out with the National Security Council and additional officials, together with the Egyptian government.
 
Pursuant to the foregoing, the route from Ben-Gurion International Airport to Sharm el-Sheikh will open soon; flights are expected to begin during the intermediate days of Passover next month.
 
Prime Minister Bennett:
 
"This agreement will further warm the relations between Israel and Egypt. The cooperation between our two countries is expanding in many fields, and this is contributing to both peoples and to regional stability. Israel is opening up to the countries of the region and the basis for this long-standing recognition is the peace between Israel and Egypt. Therefore, on both sides we need to invest in strengthening this connection – and that’s what we are doing. I thank the Israeli Security Agency for taking the lead on formulating the security outline that will enable this route to open."