Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman offering high-quality service, and connecting and promoting Oman to the world, complete 24 years of operations in India this year. Mr. Paul Gregorowitsch CEO – Oman Airvisited India to mark the special occasion and met with the airline’s top travel agents in the country. He also met with Oman Air’s key commercial partners and senior media representatives.
The first international service that Oman Air launched in India was to Trivandrum in November 1993. Since then, they have launched 10 more destinations in India, five of which are served by double daily services. Within the last year, the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of India have agreed to increase the number of flights between the two countries. This year onwards Delhi, Calicut and Hyderabad have 21 weekly flights each, and Lucknow operates 14 weekly flights. Starting 01 August 2017, Oman Air will introduce a third daily flight from Mumbai to Muscat, which will increase the weekly capacity from 154 to 161 flights.
Speaking on the completion of 24 years of operations in India, Mr. Gregorowitsch said, “India has always been and will continue to remain a key market for Oman Air. We are delighted to be offering thousands more guests the opportunity to travel between Oman and India. Oman and India enjoy a close and historic relationship and Indian air travellers have played an important part in Oman Air’s success. The demand for all 11 of our Indian destinations has always been high and the increased frequencies this year offer more choice and convenience to our guests. The extended traffic entitlements will give a further boost to the tourism sector, prompting many discerning tourists to visit magnificent Oman as well as India’s beautiful touristic spots. We look forward to welcoming many more Indian air travellers aboard our aircraft as Oman Air continues its current ambitious fleet and network expansion programme across destinations.”
Over the past year in the Indian market, Oman Air has seen an average rate of close to 80% in seat occupancy and has increased their seat capacity by 30%. The dynamic travel industry and forward-thinking aviation sector in India, which is currently the third largest in the world, has made it an important market for the airline.
In May 2017, Oman Air launched a new daily flight from Muscat to Manchester. The new daily service is operated by an Airbus 330-200 and is the airline’s second flight connection to the UK following the current double daily service between London Heathrow and Muscat. The new flight signals the latest move in the airline’s ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion and boosts Oman’s connection to the UK, an important trading partner.
Oman Air is expected to operate 70 aircrafts by 2020, which will fly to as many as 75 destinations thereby increasing its network and reach across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.
About Oman Air: Oman Air is the flagship carrier of the Sultanate of Oman and an Official 4 Star Airline (Skytrax 2011). Founded in 1993, the airline has since witnessed massive growth and has played a major role in making Muscat an important traffic hub in the Middle East, supporting the commercial, industrial and tourism sectors.
The airline currently operates direct international flights from Muscat to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Madina, Tehran, Mashhad, Najaf, and Kuwait, in the Gulf region, as well as Cairo, and Amman within the wider Middle East/Africa region.
In addition, Oman Air flies to eleven destinations in India (Goa, Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Jaipur); Dhaka in Bangladesh; Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan; Kathmandu in Nepal; and Colombo in Sri Lanka. The airline also flies to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam and launched Guangzhou in China in December 2016. Its European destinations are London, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Paris and Zurich. The most recent destinations of Oman Air are Nairobi in Kenya and Manchester in the UK.
Oman Air’s domestic destinations are Salalah, Khasab and Duqum. It also serves 5 additional domestic points for The Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZAD), Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Occidental, which are JNJ (Duqm), OMM (Marmul), RNM (Qarn AlAlam), UKH (Mukhaizinah) and FAU (Fahud).
Oman Air has codeshare agreements with a number of airline partners. These are: Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Turkish Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, KLM, Garuda Airlines, Thai Airways as well as Saudia offering travellers better connectivity and increased choice.
Currently , Oman Air’s fleet consists of six Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 22 Boeing 737-800, and four Embraer 175s. More Dreamliners will join the fleet in the following years. By 2023, Oman Air’s total fleet size is expected to be around 68.
Oman Air’s outstanding aircraft interiors include its First Class Mini Suite, which provides each of the six First Class passengers with direct aisle access and converts to the longest lie-flat seat in the skies. The A330’s outstanding Business Class seats each provide direct aisle access, ample storage space and the latest technological amenities. Economy Class seats offer adjustable head and leg rests, together with generous leg and elbow room. State of the art in-flight entertainment systems feature individual seatback screens, audio and video on demand and live satellite TV. In addition, Oman Air has pioneered both mobile telephony and Internet connectivity on board its flights and this is available in all three classes.
Superb new First and Business Class lounges have been opened at Muscat International Airport, featuring elegant and tranquil relaxation areas, complimentary spa treatments and à la carte dining. In addition, premium check-in facilities and a First Class lounge-to-aircraft limousine service are offered to passengers at Muscat.
Oman Air’s commitment to quality, comfort and a seamless passenger experience has resulted in acclaim at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, including: Best Business Class Seat in the World (2011, 2012); Service Excellence, Middle East (2011); and Best Airline Staff, Middle East (2014, 2015 and 2017).
The World Travel Awards have also honoured Oman Air with World’s Leading Airline – Economy Class for the last three years, most recently in 2016, then 2015 and 2014 and, World’s Leading Airport Lounge – Business Class 2015, World’s Leading Business Class Airline – Middle East 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and Best Economy Class Airline – Middle East 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Further awards include Best Business Class Airline, Middle East (Business Destinations Awards 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016); Best In-flight Connectivity & Communications award at The 2011 Passenger Choice Awards; as well as recognition in the TravelPlus Amenity Bag Awards 2010 (three Gold, one Silver), 2011 (two Gold, one bronze), 2012 (one Gold) and 2013 (one Gold); the Business Traveller Cellars in the Sky Awards 2010 (Silver) and 2012 (two Gold).
Oman Air has also won two awards at the Arab Tourism Media Awards 2015, three categories of the Oman Web Awards 2015, four categories of the Oman Tech Awards 2016, and has received the Readers’ Choice Award at the Saveur Culinary Travel Awards, in recognition of the extraordinarily high standards of inflight cuisine. In addition, the airline was ranked highly in the American Express Executive Travel magazine’s list of the world’s best airlines in 2014, and in Business Insider’s World’s Best Airlines 2014.
Oman Air scooped four awards at the Oman Airports Management Company Second Annual Awards ceremony in 2015. The national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman was recognized as one of the top five airlines by number of passengers carried at Muscat International Airport. It also received an award as one of the top three airlines at Salalah International Airport, as well as receiving accolades in the Non-Aeronautical and Stakeholder of the Year 2014 categories.
Oman Air also won the Best International Airline Award 2015 at the North India Travel Awards held in India. Oman Air’s inflight magazine, Wings of Oman received ‘Best In-flight Magazine’ award at the prestigious World Marketing Congress’s Global Marketing Excellence awards (2015) held in Mumbai, India. Oman Air was awarded the Best International Airline 2016 at the South India Travel Awards held in Hyderabad, in India.
Oman Air has been voted Foreign Airline of the Year by Sector to Middle East at the annual KLIA Awards, introduced in 2006 to recognize the best in Malaysian aviation industry. The airline has also been awarded the coveted Signum Virtutis, the seal of excellence, from the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards 2016. The airline was voted winner for the best airline in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Oman Air Cargo has also been awarded “Best Cargo Airline for Valuable Goods – North and East” at the India Cargo Awards 2016 held in Delhi to add to a long list of awards recognizing Oman Air’s outstanding contribution to the aviation industry.
Oman Air was awarded the ‘Best Arab Air Carrier supporting Arab Tourism’ award at the Arab Tourism Media Awards ceremony organised by the Arab Centre for Tourism Media held on the sidelines of ATM 2017 in Dubai.
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