Oman Air to increase its fleet to 55 airplanes

29 Sep 2014

(MENAFN) Oman Air announced it has started a plan for expansion with the key objectives being based on the principles of safety and punctuality, being the airline of first choice, making money and profits and to help with the Sultanate’s growth, Times of Oman reported.

In the next 12 months, the airline will add 16 aircraft to its fleet and aims to increase its fleet size to 55 from the present 31 aircraft by 2017, as well as adding new destinations under in a ten-year plan to expand their network.

The main challenge for Oman Air will be to cut its annual losses of around USD259.08 million, which the airline is planning to do by adding more flights to Europe with the help of its new aircraft, which they are set to receive at the first week of January.

The carrier said that at the moment, 60 per cent of its passengers are transit travelers and that this percentage will be raised to around 70 percent in the coming years, with the airline planning to focus on passengers travelling to Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from India through better connectivity and price options.

Meanwhile, the airline announced it has added a new route to Manila in Philippines, which will start from December 2 with two flights a week initially, with a third one being added from December 13, as well as another route to Jakarta, which will start operating from December 12 with three flights a week, and a fourth frequency being added starting January 2.