Netanyahu: Oman Opens Its Airspace to Israeli Flights

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Sultan Qaboos agreed during their meeting that Israeli airline El Al's flights could use Oman's airspace. According to the Israeli economic newspaper Globes, Netanyahu, who is also the foreign minister, announced this news on Monday, December 10, during the annual meeting of Israeli ambassadors, saying that El Al flights from Oman 'will begin soon.' Two months ago, he unexpectedly visited Sultan Qaboos in Muscat along with Yossi Cohen, the head of the Mossad, and several other Israeli officials. Prior to this visit, it appeared that none of the Gulf countries had political relations with Israel. Netanyahu explained to his ambassadors that as soon as he requested El Al's passage through Oman's airspace, Sultan Qaboos immediately accepted it. It is still unclear which of El Al's passenger flights will utilize Oman's airspace. Israeli media reported that El Al's management welcomed Netanyahu's announcement but stated that plans in this regard have not yet been prepared. Meanwhile, El Al's management noted that flights to destinations like India and Far East countries would be financially beneficial if conducted through Saudi airspace. El Al, which has been considered Israel's national airline since its establishment, has long been privatized and is owned by the Borovitz brothers. Saudi Arabia has not yet allowed El Al to fly over its territory, but has previously permitted Air India to use Saudi airspace for its flights to and from Tel Aviv and Mumbai. El Al stated that until it receives equal privileges for its aircraft entering Saudi airspace on these routes, it cannot compete with companies like Air India. Granting El Al permission to use the airspace of a country like Oman may mark the beginning of other Israeli airlines entering the airspace of agreed countries. In his speech on Monday, Netanyahu also mentioned that soon Israeli planes will use the airspace of Chad and Egypt on certain routes, including to Latin America, to shorten flight times. The President of Chad, whose country has reportedly had no relations with Israel for 45 years, was recently a guest in Israel. According to Netanyahu, his government's foreign policy has brought about significant changes, and other signs of this will soon emerge, showing that 'the world has changed.' Israeli media have speculated that Netanyahu may soon travel to Bahrain, and in recent days, it has been reported that he is working to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia before the upcoming Israeli parliamentary elections, assigning the head of the Mossad to achieve this goal.