OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A plane branded with the logo of national Egyptian carrier Egyptair landed in Israel for the first time Sunday, a flight described as "historic" by the Israel Airports Authority.

Egypt was the first Arab nation to establish ties with Israel in a 1979 peace deal, and direct flights between the countries followed that accord. But the Egyptian flights to Israel had previously been operated by an Egyptair subsidiary, Air Sinai, set up exclusively for the Israel route, creating a buffer between Egyptair and the Jewish state.