After much negotiations and uncertainty, Oman has finally decided to allow Israeli airlines to fly through its airspace , that will enable the planes to fly a fuel economic route apart from flying time benefits.
However, these routes will remain temporary as the Sultanate of Oman has committed to the Palestinian Authority (PA) that it will not normalise relations with the Israeli occupation state, as per Sama News reported on Friday.
Israeli Channel 12, Sama News reported, disclosed that this pledge came following Israel's declaration that Oman had permitted Israeli airlines to fly eastwards over its skies.
A route that seemed impossible for decades, brought some hope, when in July 2022, Saudi Arabia granted permission to Israeli airlines to use its airspace for eastbound flights to India and China.
But , Oman had reportedly refused to open its airspace to Israeli commercial flights , despite the other Gulf states having opened theirs amid warming relations with Tel Aviv.
In October 2022, the Israeli airline Arkia has been forced to cancel its flights to India and other Asian countries and give customers refunds due to the continued refusal by Oman to allow the Israeli commercial aircraft fly over its territory.
Efforts to create the simplest route were always there , in the year 2018, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Sultanate and obtained a commitment from the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said to allow Israeli airlines to use Omani airspace but, after the death of Qaboos, the current Sultan Haitham bin Tariq had backed down from the decision.
The Sultanate of Oman still refuses to join the Abraham Accords normalisation agreements with Israel, even though its neighbours, the UAE and Bahrain, have signed them.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that the PA agreed not to condemn Oman's approval of the Israeli airlines to fly over its skies in return for this pledge.
On Thursday , Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced Oman's approval for Israeli airlines to fly through its airspace.
"This is a historic decision that will shorten the flying time to Asia, lower costs for Israeli citizens and helps Israeli airlines to be more competitive," Cohen communicated.
He added: "I thank the Sultan of Oman Haitham Bin Tarik and our American friends for their substantial help in the success of the move."
At the same time, Oman announced that Israeli airlines would be able to pass through its airspace, noting that this came after months of talks between the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Omani authorities.
In July 2021, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al-Busaidi told London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat: "Oman believes in the principle of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution."
He added: "We are with the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and we respect the sovereign decisions of states, just as we expect others to respect our sovereign decisions."
Oman's Civil Aviation Regulator had released a statement, saying ,
As part of the Sultanate of Oman’s continuous efforts to fulfill its obligations under the Chicago Convention of 1944, the Civil Aviation Authority affirms that the Sultanate’s airspace is open for all carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflyuing.
Though Israel is thanking Oman for the decision , in a latest development , Oman Mufti Ahmed bin Hamed al-Khalili called on the country's government to reconsider its decision to open its airspace to Israel. He said,
"This surprise, which we would never have thought of, surprised us."
