El Al’s first-ever commercial flight to fly over the skies of Oman after Saudi Arabia will take off this Sunday evening from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport in Israel bound for Bangkok. The duration of the flight will be around eight hours compared to 11 previously, when Israeli planes could not fly over Oman.

A statement released by El Al said that the aircraft had received official permission from the Oman Aviation Authority to fly over the country’s airspace. The approval was received after the sultanate announced on Thursday that it would allow planes from all airlines – including Israeli planes – to fly over its territory.

The flight will be performed by a Boeing 787. Also, flights to India from Israel will now be 5 and a half hours instead of 8. Shortening flight time significantly reduces costs in terms of crew flight hours and fuel expenses.

At this stage, there is still no discount on airfare prices, but in the near future the issue will be considered and travellers may experience real discounts.

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