Tag Archives: Oman Air

Accor and Oman Air have announced a new partnership for members of their respective loyalty programmes, Le Club AccorHotels and Sindbad, with a range of benefits to make their travel experiences richer and more rewarding. This new partnership enables Le Club AccorHotels (LCAH) members to earn rewards points when flying with Oman Air by converting 1,500 Sindbad miles into 500 LCAH rewards points.  At the same time, it will enhance the experience of Le Club AccorHotels members as they will have the opportunity to redeem their rewards points into Sindbad miles to benefit from awards tickets and upgrades with Oman Air. Every 4,000 LCAH points equals to 1,500 Sindbad miles. This is an exciting partnership for frequent travellers who are members of both programmes because it allows them to purchase stays and discounts for their next trip at more than 3,500 hotels ranging from luxury to economy in joint destinations. They can also benefit from premium experiences and exclusive themed packages curated by Accor, which include access to live music concerts, food festivals and sporting venues such as Paris Saint-Germain VIP box and tickets. These assets will be available through the new Accor rebranded loyalty programme ALL – Accor Live Limitless to be launched in Q4 2019. The partnership allows elevated reward value for Accor’s loyalty customers throughout a network of more than 50 destinations serviced by Oman Air. Paul Starrs, Chief Commercial Officer at Oman Air, commented, “Our aim is to make Sindbad one of the most attractive and rewarding frequent flyer programmes. The addition of AccorHotels and Le Club AccorHotels will further enhance benefits offered to our members by allowing them even more options to earn and redeem miles …

Following the success of the recently extended Business and First-class stopover offer, Oman Air is launching another attractive offer for all its passengers. Partnering with the Grand Millennium Muscat, Oman Air’s guests, travelling through Oman on to their end destination, can now enjoy a free night’s accommodation in this luxurious hotel in the centre of Muscat.  Passengers travelling from the Far East on their way to Europe, or vice-versa, can now leave the airport in Muscat to enjoy a complimentary 5-star night in the capital, as well as an opportunity to have a glimpse of the city and its highlights and return to their travels the next day. Visitors wanting to extend their stay can avail attractive rates at the hotel. Richard Bodin, Senior Vice President of Oman Air Holidays, said, “We are delighted with the success of our previous campaign, offering a free stopover option to our premium guests. We are now broadening our offer to include all our passenger base and we are excited to partner with Grand Millennium Muscat for this campaign.” He added, “Oman Air has been successfully attracting passengers from across the world to use Muscat as a connection point to other destinations across our network. Campaigns like this are appealing to them to break their journey, step out of the airport and see some parts of the Sultanate; thereby, promoting Oman and all it has to offer.” Luca Medda, Cluster General Manager at Millennium Hotels and Resorts confirmed his company’s commitment to the campaign, “We are keen to promote Oman to travellers across the globe, and what better way than to get them to actually sample our quality and the famous Omani culture and …

Turkish Airlines and Oman Air have revised the codeshare agreement signed earlier. Under the revised agreement, Turkish Airlines will codeshare on Oman Air operating flights to Salalah while Oman Air will codeshare on Turkish Airlines operating flights to Rome, Copenhagen and Algiers. The codeshare agreement allows guests to benefit from the outstanding products and services offered by both carriers on these routes. Bilal Ekşi, Deputy Chairman and CEO, Turkish Airlines expressed, “Witnessing Oman Air’s direct flights to Istanbul within the scope of our existing codeshare agreement has always pleased us. Now extending this agreement in order to increase the travel opportunities offered for our passengers through our networks made us more delighted. We believe that this codeshare enhancement with Oman Air will exposure further cooperation opportunities for both airlines together with growing relations between our countries.” Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air commented, “Oman Air is happy and proud to be associating with Turkish Airlines which is a globally recognized network carrier. It is an ideal partner for Oman Air, which has justifiably attracted a reputation for offering the highest levels of comfort, luxury and outstanding service. As we continue to expand globally, codeshare agreements such as this help us spread our wings to newer destinations and bring us more partners and guests.” Turkish Airlines and Oman Air currently operate one daily flight each on the Muscat-Istanbul route under the reciprocal codeshare agreement. The schedule of these flights are designed to complement each other by allowing same day return trip at Muscat and Istanbul.

Set to be held from April 30 to May 1, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators, as well as other travel-related industry professionals. Fourteen airlines have already confirmed their participation at CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre. Senior network planning teams from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Air Asia, EgyptAir, flyadeal, Ethiopian Airlines, Global Airways, Atlas Global, Germania, Mahan Air, Royal Air Maroc and Titan Airways will attend the inaugural route development forum. Throughout 2018, GCC airlines have added 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas of consistent and substantial growth – according to research from Colliers International – based on a sample of 10 airlines including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Salaam Air, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Saudia, flyadeal, Air Arabia and IndiGo airlines. Karin Butot, CEO, The Airport Agency, said, “2018 has been an exciting year for new flight routes both to and from the GCC, underscoring Dubai as the ideal location to bring together professionals from the aviation and tourism industry for the inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa forum. With up to 400 delegates, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 will include unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel discussions and airline and  industry briefings as well as an exhibition area dedicated to airports and suppliers.” Nick Pilbeam, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said, “It is an ideal base for exploring some of the world’s most interesting and previously inaccessible corners of the world. And the GCC’s airlines are making it even easier with the …

Oman Air has taken delivery of its second three-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and expects to receive it next month. Besides, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman is anticipated to receive a total of nine more 737 MAX 8s within the next year. The three-class Dreamliner features eight First Class Private Suites, 24 Business Class seats and 232 Economy seats. Guests travelling aboard this aircraft in First Class can enjoy unparalleled levels of comfort with one of the longest 180 degrees flat-bed seats available on any commercial airliner. Fully enclosed, the suite has 55-inch extra tall doors to ensure complete privacy. The aircraft will be equipped with leading technology and the latest-in-comfort amenities, including cutting-edge entertainment to enhance the travel experience of their guests. All classes feature ‘Aria’, a new state-of-the-art Thales Integrated In-Flight Entertainment System designed exclusively for Oman Air featuring an immersive cinematic interface design, showcasing the latest in on-demand blockbuster movies, TV programmes and audio selections. Exclusively curated content is available for visitors to Oman, who look to experience the very best of Oman culture from the moment they step onboard. Following the launch of new routes to Istanbul and Casablanca in June and July this year respectively, Oman Air recently celebrated the launch of its new service to Moscow on October 30, and the resumption of the Maldives route on October 28. With the addition of new Dreamliner, Oman Air’s fleet consists of three Boeing 787-8, five 787-9 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 21 Boeing 737-800s, four Embraer 175s and five 737 MAX.

Oman Air has introduced a new WhatsApp service which enables its guests to communicate instantly. Clients who opt for this service can now receive their booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes, flight status updates, in addition to other requested information, directly through the messaging app. The service offers secure, efficient and personalised customer interaction between the airline and the customer, with no third-party interference. Eng Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air, said, “Oman Air is increasingly using technology to boost its operations and make the travel experience more stress-free for its guests. This move once again demonstrates our continued commitment to offer our guests with added value and an enhanced travel experience.” Dr Khalid Abdulwahab Al Balushi, Senior Manager, Call Centers, commented, “This Business solution will enable us to reach out to more passengers as it is one of the most popular messaging applications worldwide. The new service will go a long way towards enhancing the customer experience for today’s always-connected customers. Furthermore, the WhatsApp feature is in line with the Oman Air’s journey to digitalisation.”

Oman Air has lent its support to the Ministry of Tourism, Oman, by hosting a Omani-themed workshop aimed at promoting the Sultanate’s tourism stakeholders, to celebrate the upcoming Moscow service in October. The event, which was held last week in Moscow, provided an opportunity to introduce Oman Air to the Russian market as well as showcased the unique hospitality and culture of Oman. Over 200 tour operators attended the event, with delegates from Oman Air. In addition to Oman Air, Ministry of Tourism, Oman, was joined by key hotel partners, including Anantara, Kempinski, Shangri-La and Crowne Plaza Muscat. With the launch of the new Moscow service, Oman Air is pleased that travellers from Russia will now be able to take advantage of convenient and seamless global travel to destinations within the extensive network. The new daily service to Moscow Domodedovo Airport will be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with an estimated flight time of 5 hours and 55 minutes, offering 12 seats in business class and 150 in economy class. Flight WY181 will depart Muscat daily at 14.55 hours, arriving to Moscow at 19.55 hours (local time). The return flight WY182 will depart Moscow at 00.20 hours, arriving at new passenger terminal at Muscat International Airport, at 06.55 hours.

Oman Air will resume its flights to Maldives for the 2018-19 winter season from October 28, 2018. The service will be operated by the new Boeing 737 aircraft. Oman Air flights from Muscat to Maldives will operate on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while the flight from Maldives to Muscat will operate on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Well-known for its beaches, blue lagoons and extensive reefs, Maldives, which is 3.5 hours away from Oman, is a popular tourist destination with an increasing number of international visitors arriving year-on-year (YoY). Eng Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air said, “We are delighted to be resuming our Maldives route and look forward to welcoming our valued Oman Air guests on board our latest Boeing 737 aircraft. We thoroughly encourage our friends from Europe and the rest of our network, flying to Maldives to stop over and explore Oman en route. Our new Maldives service offers holidaymakers the perfect opportunity to explore Muscat, before escaping to the beautiful shores of Maldives

Oman Air is reviewing its route network with a view to further expanding its destinations in Africa. The airline already flies to Cairo in Egypt, Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania and on July 1st the airline launched its four times weekly service to Casablanca in Morocco. With the established Sudan diaspora in Oman, Khartoum is a strong favourite to be amongst the new additions to Oman Air’s African network in 2019. Last year Oman Air launched its four times weekly service to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and one of its most dynamic cities with a vibrant cultural life, fabulous places to eat and exciting locations to visit. The seven times weekly service to the popular archipelago of Zanzibar has been a longstanding favourite with holidaymakers with its vibrant atmosphere and culture. Oman Air also flies seven times a week to Dar Es Salaam the largest city and economic capital of Tanzania, and East Africa’s second busiest port. The most recent addition of Casablanca in Morocco demonstrates Oman Air’s commitment to expanding the network and its focus on the African market. The keen interest already shown in the route is a positive sign for its future success. As with the majority of new routes, Oman Air is appealing to both business and tourism traffic and aims to strengthen the bilateral relations with all destinations in its growing network.

Under the expanded codeshare agreement, passengers can now travel on Oman Air flights from Muscat International Airport and connect to Madrid, Brussels, Vienna and Prague from Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The agreement offers travellers even better connectivity and an extended range of services between Muscat and Europe. Guests of both airlines will benefit from the greater convenience and the agreement is the latest step in developing closer links between Oman Air and Lufthansa, both of which share a commitment to deliver excellence in customer service. Lufthansa will continue to codeshare with Oman Air on Oman Air-operated services from both Frankfurt and Munich to Muscat vice versa, allowing their guests to experience the hospitality and service of Oman Air. Oman Air guests will be spoilt for choice as they will be able to fly onwards to Brussels Airport (BRU), Vienna International Airport (VIE), Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) and Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN) in Europe. Both Oman Air and Lufthansa offer outstanding choice for customers and the new codeshare between the two airlines will maximise the travel opportunities offered to passengers through their extensive networks. Engineer Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air said, “Strategic codeshares are a crucial way for us to broaden customer choice. Our continued relationship with Lufthansa is very important for Oman Air, and we are delighted to offer our valued guests even better connectivity in Europe.”