JERUSALEM, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that Oman opened its airspace to Israeli flights after months-long talks, despite the absence of official ties between the two nations.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Oman's Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the sultanate opened its airspace "for all carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying."
In a separate statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen hailed the move as "a historic decision for the Israeli economy and for the Israeli travelers."
He said the decision came after "months" of talks. He thanked the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, whom he referred to as "our friend," and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden for their help in brokering the negotiations.
The permit would enable a reduction in the duration of flights from Israel to India and other Asian destinations by two hours. According to the foreign ministry, it is expected to lower the costs of airfare from Israel and open new routes to Asian destinations.
The move follows a similar decision by Saudi Arabia, which opened its airspace to all flights to and from Israel during Biden's trip to the Middle East in July last year.
Israel has been pushing for the normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia and Oman, following the so-called Abraham Accords normalization deals that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to sign with Israel in 2020. ■
