Oman announced today (Thursday) that Israeli airlines will now be able to fly through its airspace. The announcement comes after months of contacts between the Foreign Ministry and Omani authorities.
The approval given today joins the approval of Saudi Arabia - and will allow the duration of flights from Israel to destinations in Asia to be shortened by more than two hours, thus making Israeli airlines more competitive and significantly reducing ticket prices for Israeli citizens.
From now on, a direct flight to Thailand with El Al - instead of 11 hours today, 8:30 hours; a flight to India - 5:30 instead of 8:30. It will also be possible to fly with narrow-body aircraft that will allow for more flights.
It is estimated that the possibility of flying over Oman will lead to a decrease in prices and the opening of new destinations. Arkia and Israair will operate flights to new destinations - Sri Lanka, India and more.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed to the airlines that the move is final, and that they will begin planning the new flight routes in the coming days.
Oman included a clause in the contract according to which only airlines that meet their conditions will receive approval, which concerns certain routes and additional conditions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded: "The Far East is not so far away, and the sky is no longer the limit. This is a day of great news for Israeli aviation. Israel is essentially becoming a central transit point between Asia and Europe.
"We worked to open the airspace, first over Saudi Arabia. From 2018 when I visited Oman, to also add Oman, so that we could fly directly to India, then to Asia, and then to Australia."
"This was achieved today, after many efforts, including in recent months. So there is great news - Israel is opening to the East on an unprecedented scale."
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