Israel says Oman will open its airspace to Israeli carrier

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Oman will open its airspace to Israel's national airline.

The move appears to have no immediate practical effect as the carrier is barred from flying over Saudi Arabia. But it marks another sign of warming ties between Israel and Gulf Arab states.

Netanyahu told a gathering of Israeli ambassadors on Monday that Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said granted El Al permission to pass through its airspace during the Israeli leader's surprise visit to the country in October. 

The two states have no formal diplomatic relations.

Saudi Arabia broke a decades-long ban on the use of its airspace for flights to Israel last spring, when it allowed India's national carrier to transit its skies.

The kingdom's approval did not extend to El Al.