Israel Aerospace to service Gulf Air planes while in Israel

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - State-owned defence contractor Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said on Thursday it will service planes from Bahraini airliner Gulf Air that land in Israel.

Bahrain and Israel formalised ties in September and have agreed to allow 14 weekly commercial flights between Manama and Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, though a start date has not been announced.

The companies signed the line maintenance deal during a visit by a Bahraini delegation led by the country's Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

IAI said it would "provide a comprehensive technical response ... including post- and pre-flight services, daily maintenance, and support for any technical issues."

Yosef Melamed, general manager of IAI's aviation group, said he expects similar deals with other airlines in the region after Israel normalised ties with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

IAI provides line maintenance services to 75% of airlines landing in Ben Gurion airport.

Along with its aviation business, IAI deals with air and missile defences, drones, precision-guided weapons and satellites.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch. Editing by Jane Merriman)