Israeli airlines are also allowed to land in Oman thanks to the new rules. For Israel, it is a “historic” decision.
Muscat – With new rules for air traffic, Oman is now following Saudi Arabia in a sign of rapprochement with Israel. In the future, the airspace will be open to all airlines that meet the authority’s requirements for an overflight, the Gulf State’s aviation authority announced today. The vaguely worded statement means that all commercial connections to and from Israel are now possible and Israeli airlines are also allowed to fly through Oman airspace.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called this a “historic and important decision for the Israeli economy and for Israeli travelers”. Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia also opened its airspace to Israel in July last year. The Kingdom released a similar statement at the time, which also made no explicit mention of Israel.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, mediated by the United States. However, Oman has not yet joined the so-called Abraham Accords itself.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Cohen thanked Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. Thanks to the opening of Saudi and Omani airspace, flight times between Israel and destinations in Asia could now be reduced by two and a half hours, Israeli media reported. dpa
#Oman #opens #airspace #flights #Israel