First Saudi plane arrives in Qatar after reconciliation deal

By Serdar Bitmez and Hamdi Yildiz

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier landed at Qatar’s Hamad International Airport late Monday for the first time since 2017 after the two neighbors signed a reconciliation deal.

"Following the resumption of flights between #Riyadh and #Doha, the first @Saudi_Airlines arrived at @HIAQatar this evening. #SAUDI," state-owned Qatar Airways said on Twitter, sharing pictures of the incoming Saudi passengers.

Flights from the Saudi cities of Jeddah and Dammam will also resume in the coming days.

The UAE and Bahrain also announced that passenger planes belonging to Qatar Airways use their airspace.

Last week, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt signed a reconciliation deal with Qatar during a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the Saudi city of al-Ula.

The agreement signaled an end to a Saudi-led blockade imposed on Qatar since 2017 amid accusations that Doha supported terrorist groups, a claim it vehemently denied.

*Writing by Burak Dag