SINCE its launch in 1993, Oman Air has witnessed massive growth and has been a major contributor in boosting tourism in the country. The outlook is positive and Philippe Georgious, chief officer corporate affairs at Oman Air is optimistic that the airline will achieve its target to reach profitability by 2014.
2010 saw an overall system load factor reaching the low 70 per cent, which was considerably better than what was forecasted by the airline. “When the recession hit the world markets, Oman Air had just embarked on its expansion plans, thus we were much less impacted. In 2011, we will add more frequencies to existing destinations, in addition to introducing new destinations, and further network restructuring for a better schedule product in local and regional traffic to other GCC countries,” said Georgious.
Oman Air boasts of a superior economy class offering on its aircraft, at the level of both comfort and services. The airline will be receiving two Embraer E175 in March 2011, in addition to an A330-200 in May. The Embraer will be utilised for short-haul regional flights, while the Airbus will complete the fleet of the same category, for the longer routes. The airline has also ordered six Boeing 787 Dreamliners, scheduled to be delivered in 2014.
“Different airlines face different challenges. For Oman Air, the specific point-to-point positioning between our various destinations and Oman will keep us focused on the development of brand awareness at this stage of our development, starting from a small base, and still experiencing growth,” added Georgious.
The company was the first airline to introduce in-flight mobile phone and wifi connectivity, proving that the technology works. Last year the airline added to its network destinations like Damman, Kathmandu, Milan and Tanzania. The airline also entered a code-share partnership with Malaysia Airlines opening up more international destinations to their customers.