Prime Minister Netanyahu with Omani Sultan Qaboos in 2018
Prime Minister Netanyahu with Omani Sultan Qaboos in 2018Prime Minister's spokesperson

Oman's Civil Aviation Authority announced on Thursday that its airspace will be open for all flights leaving Israel.

Israel's foreign minister on Thursday thanked Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said for opening Oman's airspace to all carriers, including Israeli airlines, which will now be able to offer shorter routes to Asia.

"It's a historic and significant decision for the Israeli economy and the Israeli traveler," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

Though Oman does not officially recognize the state of Israel and has said that it will not normalize ties with the Jewish state until the establishment of a Palestinian one, there have been on-and-off relations between the two nations for years. In 2018 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even traveled to the country and met with its late leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.