Israel's national carrier El Al said it has withdrawn its plea filed in the top court against the government decision to allow Air India to fly over Saudi Arabia's airspace on Delhi-Tel Aviv route, something it had claimed gives its competitor an unfair competitive edge. Local media reports said Israel's High Court of Justice had urged El Al to drop the petition it filed in March this year, days after Air India's inaugural flight landed in Tel Aviv on March 22.

In a statement to the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the airlines said its decision was made following a hearing on the matter on July 18. No further details were provided, but it seems the airlines decided to pay heed to the court's request. El Al had filed an urgent petition to the court against the Israeli government, Transportation Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority, claiming that granting the Indian airline permission to fly the route, which significantly reduces the cost and flight time, gave a foreign company an unfair competitive advantage and violated the state's commitment to Israel's national carrier.