Turkey, Israel to boost airlinks with first aviation deal since 1951

Turkey and Israel will expand bilateral airline traffic for the first time since 1951 under a new aviation deal which will be signed on Thursday, Israel's transportation ministry has announced.

The deal will allow Israeli airlines to fly to more destinations in Turkey and follows an improvement in ties after years of ruptured relations between the two countries.

"The agreement is expected to result in the resumption of flights by Israeli companies to a variety of destinations in Turkey, alongside flights by Turkish companies to Israel," the Israeli ministry said in a statement.

Turkey and Israel took steps earlier this year to improve relations, with Israeli President Chaim Herzog visiting Ankara and Istanbul and meeting his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March.

Turkey had previously withdrawn its ambassador from Israel and expelled the Israeli ambassador to Ankara in May 2018, when Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians protesting at the Gaza Strip border against Israel's siege of the territory and the US's decision to move its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Israeli foreign ministry, however, last month warned Israeli citizens not to visit Turkey, citing security risks amid reports of an alleged plot by Iranian intelligence to assassinate Israeli tourists in Istanbul.

Despite the warning, which was downgraded after Turkish police arrested alleged Iranian operatives, Turkey continues to be a very popular destination for Israeli visitors.