With Air India announcing that it will resume flights to Israel on January 1, 2026, the direct air connection between India and Israel, which was suspended after the 2023 Hamas attack, will be reinstated. Interestingly, more Israeli airlines, including El Al and Arkia Israeli, have expressed interest in operating flights between the two countries.
While Israel’s national carrier, El Al, has not flown to India since 2020, when it cancelled flights to Mumbai during the COVID pandemic, the prospect of resuming the air connection between the two countries depends on another Middle Eastern nation: Oman.
According to the airline, the direct air route from Israel to Mumbai and New Delhi could be profitable only if Oman allows Israeli planes through its airspace. Thanks to the ceasefire, the option of flying over Oman is back on the table. The approval from Muscat could change the current aviation map by shortening the flight hours from nine to seven. Currently, the long nine-hour route makes direct flights less profitable, as many passengers prefer to fly via the Emirates at a lower cost.
The shorter route over Oman would make it possible to use narrow-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A321 neo LR, which is in service with Arkia. Aircraft of this type are not suitable for long route and so operating the route without permission to overfly Oman would not be profitable.
Arkia announced on Friday that it was already in talks to start a direct flight between the countries. A meeting was held between Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz and Indian Ambassador to Israel J. P. Singh, and the Economic Attaché Dr. Garika Tejaswar.
According to the company's estimates, the shortened route will allow for pricing of about $500 for a direct flight. On the long route, operating costs are expected to increase significantly. The option to fly over Oman first materialised in February 2023 , when the country announced it would allow Israeli aircraft to transit its airspace. The move significantly shortened flights to the east, reduced fuel costs, and allowed Israeli companies to compete directly with international companies operating on similar routes.