El Al Flight to Thailand Avoids Oman Airspace

Jerusalem, 31 October, 2023 (TPS) -- An El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok avoided Oman airspace on Tuesday, opting for a longer route as a general security precaution amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s flagship carrier had announced the temporary suspension over flights over the Gulf Arab state a day earlier, emphasizing that it was not due to any specific threat.

The Bangkok flight reverted to a previous route south over Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea and then east over the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean.

In February, Muscat joined Riyadh in allowing Israeli commercial flights over its territory. Saudi Arabia opened its skies to civilian flights from Israel in July 2022.

An El Al spokeswoman said on Monday that Israel has requested approval from authorities in Oman for a new route over the country.

Since the Gaza war began with Hamas’s attack on southern Israeli communities, anti-war demonstrations have swept the Arab world. Israel has warned its citizens against traveling to most Arab countries, and in particular singling out Turkey and Russia’s Muslim republics in the Caucusus following Sunday’s riot at the Makhachkala Uytash Airport in Dagestan.