DRMuscat: Oman Air, the award winning national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, is celebrating 25 years of service to India. On the occasion, Oman Air remains robust and buoyant about bilateral trade and investment between India and Oman which rose approx. 67 per cent in 2018 as compared to the previous year.
On the occasion, Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air said, “We are bullish on India, as it is a significant destination for Oman Air both in terms of increasing tourism traffic and in promoting vital trade
agreements between the two countries. Since the commencement of operations to India first, the network has grown from strength to strength and I am delighted to have the opportunity to thank all of those who have made our expansion possible. I am also very grateful to the cooperation between the governments of Oman and
India whose agreement has allowed us to increase the number of frequencies and available seats.”
Sunil V A, Regional Vice President-ISC said, “We have seen a huge increase in passengers travelling between Muscat and India, but we strongly believe that the Indian market still has huge potential, not just between Oman and India, but also beyond to connecting destinations. Seat occupancy remains high on our India flights and I look forward to seeing this grow even further in the future. The dynamic travel industry and forward-thinking aviation sector in India, (which is currently the third largest in the world), has helped make India a very important market for us.”
Paul Starrs, Chief Commercial Officer, Oman Air, said, “These routes have proven increasingly popular and it has been fantastic to see the service grow both in terms of destinations and frequency. We are very proud that we can offer our guests the choice and convenience that comes with such frequent flights. Our passengers continue to commend the excellent service that they receive on-board with Oman Air and the 25-year milestone is a testament to this success.”
“We have 27,000 seats in India and have requested for more from the Government of India,” informed CEO Al Raisi. “We are awaiting a favourable response and this would drive more leisure tourists to the West Asian country and help feed our flights to Europe and Africa.”
India is the second most important market for the airline after Oman and contributes to around 15 per cent of its global sales. Last financial year, OmanAir reported revenues of around $1.4 billion. Oman Air’s seat factor touched the 80 per cent mark in 2018, and the passenger in premium cabin grew 25 per cent vis-à-vis previous year.
Oman received 3.21 lakh Indian visitors in 2017, showcasing growth of over 7 per cent compared to 2016 and
the estimated growth for 2018 is at 18 per cent owing to the enhanced demand from leisure, wedding, adventure and MICE travellers. This will further strengthen the airline’s growing international network and significantly enhance connectivity for passengers.
Oman Air’s first flight (WY 1412) took off in the year 1993 from Muscat to Trivandrum, marking its journey of being the largest airline between the two countries. Oman Air currently operates 161 weekly flights to India. There has been significant growth in the past 25 years, with a fleet of 2 aircraft serving 3 destinations – to its present day fleet of 54 aircraft, serving 51 destinations.
Once the additional seats are granted, Oman Air will expand its network with access to Ahmedabad and Kolkata, which will boost its Indian presence. “We are looking to increase point to point traffic to improve our revenue. The average yield from connecting traffic is lower than point to point traffic because of higher competition on those markets,” said CCO Starrs.
The Sultanate of Oman has applied to US Department of Transport for permission to fly into the United States. A response is being awaited. It will commence its flight to Athens in June 2019.
