Oman Opens its Airspace to Israeli Airlines
Al El Israel Ltd. Aircraft (Creative Commons)
On February 23, Oman opened its airspace to all aircraft approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. This action permits Israeli carriers to fly through Oman for the first time, shortening flights from Israel to parts of Asia by two hours.
In July 2022, Saudi Arabia undertook a similar alteration to its airspace regulations, allowing Israeli aircraft to pass through Saudi airspace. This change came after United States’ President Joe Biden visited the Middle East in the same month. The Saudi change in airspace regulations, however, did not impact Israeli flight time to Asia because Omani airspace was off limits at the time.
Oman’s change in airspace regulations did not specifically mention Israel, nor did it recognize the benefits it would provide the Israeli government. Nonetheless, Israeli officials are very appreciative of this change. In a statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen expressed this: “historic decision will shorten the road to Asia, lower costs for Israeli citizens and help Israeli airlines to be more competitive. I thank the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said and our American friends for their substantial help in the success of the move.” Flights from Israel to Thailand and India will decrease by two hours as a direct result of this Omani policy.
The U.S. has claimed partial credit for this change in Omani airspace regulations. After the announcement, U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that “this historic step completes a process begun last year, during President [Joe] Biden’s visit to the Middle East region, when Saudi Arabia similarly opened its airspace to all civilian planes”.
Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations but there has been an increased friendliness between the two nations. In October 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Oman to meet with the former Sultan Qaboos bin Said. In 2020, Oman congratulated the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for its normalization of relations with Israel. Following the airspace opening, Israeli officials implied the possibility of adding Oman to the Abraham Accords but senior Omani officials have indicated this is not possible without further “advancement in the Palestinian file”.
El Al Israel Airlines plans to conduct the first flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to Bangkok, Thailand through Saudi and Omani airspace on February 26th. This trip is predicted to shave off two and a half hours of air time compared to previous flights to Bangkok. El Al Israel Airlines Ltd’s CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganacia states, “El Al is proud to be the first Israeli airline to fly over the skies of Saudi Arabia and Oman and take an active part in the State of Israel’s history.”