The Civil Aviation Authority of Oman has allowed Israeli aircraft to cross its airspace, thus removing the last obstacle for El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) and others to operate flights to India, South-East Asia, and Australia.
The regulator said on February 23 that "as part of the Sultanate of Oman's continuous efforts to fulfil its obligations under the Chicago Convention of 1944", it would open its airspace "for all carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying". The announcement does not mention Israel, as Oman does not recognise it, but effectively, it pertains to Israeli carriers. Saudi Arabia, which also does not recognise Israel, used the same phrasing in its August 2022 decision.
"Another great step toward regional integration - Israeli flights can now pass over Omani airspace, saving fuel and many hours. Thank you to the Sultanate of Oman. Thank you, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Special thanks to [US President] Joe Biden, the White House staff, the US Department of State, and the US Embassy Jerusalem for promoting the move and accompanying it all the way to its success," Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said.
The agreement follows lengthy negotiations after Oman proved to be a somewhat unexpected holdout in opening its airspace to Israeli carriers. Flag carrier El Al, Arkia Israeli Airlines, and Israir announced plans to expand their networks in South and South-East Asia following the Saudi decision last year but subsequently put them on hold as Oman continued to block the overflights.
Without the Omani agreement, the Saudi decision alone was largely moot as the ability to overfly either Oman or Iran is necessary to operate the most direct routes between Israel and South/South-East Asia. Air India, which operates Delhi International-Tel Aviv Ben Gurion flights using the shortest routes, has a flight time of around five hours, while El Al's flights to India in the past took nearly eight hours as the airline had to bypass the Arab Peninsula from the south.
