Jerusalem, Israel– Israel on Thursday welcomed an Omani decision it said would allow Israeli airlines to use airspace of the Gulf sultanate with which it has no official diplomatic relations.
On Twitter, the Omani Civil Aviation Authority affirmed that “the Sultanate’s airspace is open for all carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying”.
It did not give further details.
“This is a day of great news for Israeli aviation. Israel is effectively becoming the main transit point between Asia and Europe,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video recording.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in a statement hailed the “historic decision that will shorten flight time to Asia, reduce costs for Israeli citizens and help Israeli airlines be more competitive”.
Netanyahu visited Oman in 2018 at the invitation of Sultan Qaboos, despite Muscat not officially recognizing Israel.
After his trip, Netanyahu said the sultanate was ready to open its airspace to Israeli civil aircraft. But such a gesture did not at the time mean much since Oman’s neighbor Saudi Arabia gave no such permission.
In July 2022, however, Riyadh — which also has no diplomatic relations with Israel — announced the opening of its airspace to “all air carriers”.
The United States on Thursday also welcomed Oman’s move, saying it completed the “process” begun last year with Saudi Arabia’s decision.
“Oman’s announcement promotes President (Joe) Biden’s vision of a more integrated, stable, and prosperous Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the American people and our regional partners,” a White House statement said.
Oman had welcomed the 2022 US-brokered normalization of ties between Israel and two other Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which broke with decades of animosity and the Arab position of resolving the Palestinian issue as a precondition for rapprochement with Israel.
In January, Saudi Arabia said it would not normalize ties with Israel in the absence of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.