Israel’s El Al stops flying over Oman on Bangkok route

Israel’s El Al stops flying over Oman on Bangkok route

Israel's El Al Airlines said Monday it had temporarily stopped flying over Omani airspace on its route to Bangkok for safety reasons. El Al in February became the first Israeli national carrier to use a new corridor over Saudi Arabia and Oman, after Muscat joined Riyadh in allowing Israeli civilian overflights. An El Al spokeswoman said there was no specific threat to El Al aircraft but the airline opted to revert back to a route over Saudi Arabia but not Oman, lengthening the flight time between Tel Aviv and Bangkok to 11 hours from eight. El Al, she said, is seeking a new route over Oman and has asked Omani officials for approval.