Oman will let Israeli planes fly through its airspace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday.
The announcement follows Netanyahu’s surprise and condemned visit to Oman in October although the two states have no formal diplomatic relations.
“When I was in Oman I spoke with Sultan Qaboos who told me El Al would be able to fly over Oman” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said that the move has no immediate practical effect because carrier El Al is still barred from flying over Oman’s northern neighbor Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this year Oman and Saudi Arabia granted Air India the right to fly to and from Israel. Saudi Arabia has not given similar permission to El Al and without that permission Oman flyover rights is largely symbolic with little practical significance.
Netanyahu also said that it is now possible to fly over Egypt and Chad a country with whom Israel still does not have formal diplomatic relations. Netanyahu said that it is “apparently” possible to fly over Sudan.
“This opens other markets. This is another quarter of a billion people” he said.
