The carrier suspended all scheduled international flights on 29 March 29 to help curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. However, Oman Air continued to operate some domestic, repatriation as well as cargo flights amid the pandemic.

The carrier will offer flights connecting Muscat to cities such as London, Frankfurt in Europe, Istanbul, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Lahore, Manila, Kuala Lumpur in Asia, and Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Cairo in Africa.

Flights to and from London will depart on Sundays and Wednesday. Similarly, flights to and from Frankfurt will depart on Mondays and Saturdays. Flights to Istanbul will depart from Muscat on Wednesdays and Sundays, with return flights on Mondays and Thursdays.

Earlier this year, Oman Air terminated contracts of 125 pilots in order to cut cost and help the carrier deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Oman Air had laid off all captains and first officers on its B787 and A330 fleet, according to media reports.

It has also sent some of its employees on leave without pay.

Oman Air has partnered with BankDhofar to launch a new payment gateway that will enable the carrier’s customers to buy air tickets through their debit cards.

Suleiman Al Ghannami, chief financial officer at Oman Air told the media, “Oman Air is delighted to partner with BankDhofar and its ecommerce Payment Gateway platform to offer customers a convenient way to purchase their flight tickets online and on our mobile app. This partnership proves our commitment towards improving our customer experience with the introduction of convenient payment options. Oman Air works hard and do its best to satisfy its valued guests.”

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Suleiman Al Ghannami, Oman Air Chief Financial Officer told the media, “Oman Air is delighted to partner with BankDhofar and its ecommerce Payment Gateway platform to offer customers a convenient way to purchase their flight tickets online and on our mobile app. This partnership proves our commitment towards improving our customer experience with the introduction of convenient payment options. Oman Air works hard and do its best to satisfy its valued guests.”

The decision to launch the payment gateway by BankDhofar in partnership with Oman Air is in line with the bank’s digital transformation roadmap to offer service excellence to its customers and contribute to the digital economy by improving the electronic payment ecosystem.

Earlier this year, BankDhofar also launched a new feature of its mobile banking app, which enables the customers to send money instantly across the world through Western Union.

Commenting on the new service, Ahmed Said Al Ibrahim, General Manager & Chief Corporate Services Officer at BankDhofar told the media, “This initiative is part of BankDhofar’s continuous transformation plan, which is putting digital technology and innovation at the core of its strategy to improve the experience of its customers. This move will enable BankDhofar customers to benefit from Western Union transfer feature in our mobile banking app, and send money across the world. BankDhofar has always been in a leading position to offer a range of new products and instant payment services.”

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The National Aviation Strategy will create new jobs, sharpen local talent and coordinate between organisations in the aviation sector. The Sultanate’s new strategy comprises new projects to connect local travel providers and further develop the logistics system. It will develop a comprehensive framework to maintain air freight market share, media reports said. 

The strategy was launched in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and other dignitaries in the Sultanate’s aviation sector, media reports said. 

It is reported that a logistics services regional centre will be set up in the Sultanate to increase freight traffic through its domestic airports. This will be achieved through initiatives such as aviation sector marketing, allocation of free zones to airport cities, increasing customer efficiency and establishment of marine-air links. 

The National Aviation Strategy will also enhance the restructuring of Oman Air, which aims to become a destination business model airline, media reports said. Oman Air is the Sultanate’s national carrier. The strategy marks the success of the Sultanate’s aviation industry. 

Also, the National Aviation Strategy will support the connection between the aviation and tourism sectors by addressing revenue decline in the sectors and increasing the number of tourists. Several digital innovations and technologies will be introduced to help strategy deliver on the potential in future, media reports said. 

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According to the earlier report, Oman was considering forming a new airline to take over Oman Air’s domestic operations so that the state-owned carrier can focus on the global market where it competes with the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

The Oman Aviation Group tweeted, “Oman Aviation Group denies reports regarding establishing a new airline company. The group is working on developing a promotional and investment programme called ‘Oman Link’, which aims to promote and connect regional airports in the Sultanate.”

In the last couple of years, Oman is increasingly restructuring the country’s aviation sector. The Oman Aviation Group was established last year which oversees the operations of Oman Air, Oman Aviation Services as well as the airports in Oman.

Earlier in the month of April, Oman Aviation announced that it plans to raise around $6 billion to support its plan to expand Oman’s aviation sector. The recent developments are part of Oman’s greater plan to develop other sectors in its economy to reduce the economy’s dependence on oil.

According to its chief executive Mustafa Al Hinai, Oman Aviation will raise the $6 billion in different tranches over a period of 10 years. The group has already submitted its proposal to local and domestic banks and expects to secure the first tranche by 2020.

Recently, Oman Air expanded its codeshare deal with Kenya airways. Now Oman Air’s guests will be able to travel beyond Nairobi to Dar Es Salam in Tanzania. Whereas, Kenya Airways’ guests will be able to travel beyond Muscat to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the Indian cities of Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad.

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Reportedly, the Oman Aviation Group has issued a proposal for a feasibility study with regard to the establishment of a new airline.

The new airline, which will take over Oman Air’s domestic operations, will help the state-owned carrier focus on the international market where it competes with the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

Even though the new airline would have its own independent management, it could operate in partnership with Oman Air.

Currently, Oman Air flies to four destinations within the country. The airline uses 166-seat Boeing 737 jets and 71-seat Embraer E175 aircraft on domestic and regional flights.

But the cost of operating these aircraft domestically is too high. Therefore, the new airline would use regional jets to operate within Oman.

In the last couple of years, Oman is increasingly restructuring the country’s aviation sector. The Oman Aviation Group was established last year which oversees the operations of Oman Air, Oman Aviation Services as well as the airports in Oman.

Earlier in 2017, the company launched Salam Air, a budget carrier owned by Oman’s government pension fund and the Muscat municipality.

Recently, Oman Air announced that it will start flying to five new destinations in Europe. According to the codeshare agreement signed with Germany’s Lufthansa, Oman Air will operate direct flights to Munich and Frankfurt and connecting flights to Amsterdam, Dublin, Helsinki, Oslo, and Warsaw.

Oman Air now serves 24 European destinations, with non-stop flights to 10 cities and partnerships connecting guests with 14 additional destinations on the continent.

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