An El Al plane. Photo: Raimond Spekking.

Israel and the European Union (EU) have initiated an open-skies agreement that will make travel easier between Israel and Europe. The agreement was submitted to the Israeli government and the European Parliament for approval.

Officials also hope that the agreement will reduce airfares and encourage European tourism in Israel. The agreement was reached after three years of negotiations and has been deemed historic by the Israeli Ministry of Transport, according to Globes.

If approved, the agreement will be implemented gradually. Eventually, Israeli aviation officials will add seven weekly flights to all European destinations, and three weekly flights to particularly busy airports.