By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU — Israeli carrier Arkia says it has not yet received renewal of authorization to fly through Somali airspace for February, a delay that could force it to reroute flights between Israel and Thailand if permission is not granted by the beginning of the month.
In a statement, the airline said regular applications are standard international aviation practice — carriers routinely seek clearance from countries whose airspace they cross — and that to date it has not received February’s required overflight authorization from Somali authorities. If approval is not issued in time, those flights may be diverted along alternative routes that avoid Somali airspace.
Arkia indicated that discussions on the matter are ongoing with Israeli regulatory bodies including Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority and the Foreign Ministry, but gave no firm timetable for when the permit might be resolved.
The delay follows a sharp diplomatic row between Mogadishu and Jerusalem after Israel became the first United Nations member state to officially recognise the breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent country in late December 2025 — a move Somalia vehemently rejects and describes as a breach of its territorial integrity.
Somali officials have publicly criticized the recognition and other actions Canberra views as interference in its sovereignty, and there are signs the dispute has extended to airspace management. Somali government statements have not formally linked the Arkia overflight delay to the diplomatic dispute, but analysts say the timing highlights how political tensions can spill over into aviation policy.
The situation has wider implications for flights between Israel and Asia. Arkia operates long‑haul services, including routes to Thailand, that typically benefit from the shorter, fuel‑efficient path across East African airspace. Should Somalia withhold or delay authorization, the airline would likely have to plot a longer route over the Indian Ocean, increasing costs and flight time.
Other carriers that fly similar long‑haul routes say their permits remain valid for now — for example, Israel’s flagship airline El Al receives annual overflight approvals that extend into March and does not currently expect changes to its Thailand services despite the Somalia issue.
The diplomatic dispute over Somaliland’s status — a territory that declared independence from Somalia after the government’s collapse in 1991 but has not been widely recognised internationally — is drawing strong pushback from Mogadishu and its allies, who argue the move undermines Somali unity and risks setting a destabilising precedent under international law.
Somalia’s federal government has yet to issue a formal public statement about the Arkia permit delay itself.
