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Oman Air scoops Best Luxury Airline - Middle East award

Oman Air has been named Best Luxury Airline, Middle East 2011 in the prestigious Business Destinations Travel Awards. The national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman triumphed despite stiff competition from some of the biggest names in the industry.

The award recognises the highest standards of comfort, space, services and hospitality that Oman Air offers both in the air and on the ground, together with its expanding network of exciting, high quality destinations.

Peter Hill, Chief Executive of Oman Air , commented on the airline's achievement, saying:

"We are extremely proud that Oman Air has been named as Best Luxury Airline, Middle East in the Business Destinations Travel Awards. This award confirms the outstanding quality of our services and is testament to the extraordinary commitment of our staff, throughout Oman Air , who have played a vital role in transforming the airline into the luxury carrier it is today.

"Our new aircraft, spacious and comfortable cabins, pioneering technology and world-class hospitality deliver a superb passenger experience and I am delighted that we have been able to return a real sense of pleasure to air travel."

The award follows the introduction of a brand new fleet of Airbus A330s to the airline's long haul routes and Embraer 175s to short haul routes, the pioneering launch of onboard mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity and the unveiling of superb new business class and first class lounges at Muscat International Airport.

Furthermore, Oman Air has launched new onboard products, including economy class seats with adjustable head and leg rests, 10.4-inch individual video screen and extra leg room; wide business class seats that offer every passenger direct aisle access, a 17-inch video screen and which convert to 82-inch long, fully lie-flat beds; first class mini-suites that offer extraordinary levels of comfort, space and privacy, a 23-inch video screen and which convert to 87-inch long full lie-flat beds. The latest in-flight entertainment package is available in every class and offers a great selection of movies, music, games and live satellite TV, as well as USB ports and iPod sockets, allowing passengers to personalise their entertainment choices. Award-winning amenity kits, award-winning wine lists and delicious a la carte menus, served by highly-trained crew attired in Balenciaga-designed uniforms, add that extra touch of refinement.

Web check-in, generous luggage allowances, first and business class limousine services, fast-track departures and some of the finest lounges in the world ensure that the Oman Air experience before and after flying reaches the same heights on the ground as in the air.

The Business Destinations Best Luxury Airline, Middle East 2011 award comes just a month after Oman Air was awarded Official 4-Star Airline status by Skytrax, who also named the airline's Business Class seat as one of the best three in the world.

The Business Destinations Travel Awards are voted for by readers of Business Destinations magazine, which is published in the UK every other month. The magazine has a worldwide readership of more than 100,000 and is distributed in premium aircraft cabins and airport lounges, to travel professionals and is sold through retail outlets.

-Ends-

Corporate Communications & Media
Oman Air
28 May 2011

About Oman Air
Oman Air is the flagship carrier of the Sultanate of Oman. Founded in 1993, the airline has since witnessed massive growth and has played a major role in making Muscat an important traffic hub in the Middle East, supporting the commercial, industrial and tourism sectors.

The airline currently operates direct international flights from Muscat to Gulf destinations, such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait and Al Ain. Within the Middle East region, Oman Air flies to Cairo in Egypt, Beirut in Lebanon and Amman in Jordan.

In addition, Oman Air flies to ten destinations in India - Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Jaipur. Within the Subcontinent, Oman Air also flies to Chittagong in Bangladesh, Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan and Colombo in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Oman Air flies to the Indian Ocean islands of the Maldives. Within the Far East, Oman Air destinations include Bangkok in Thailand and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Among its European destinations are: London in the United Kingdom, Munich and Frankfurt in Germany and Paris in France. Oman Air also flies to Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.

In September 2010, Oman Air commenced operations to Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and Kathmandu in Nepal. Milan, Italy, was latest addition to the expanding network of Oman Air destinations.

Oman Air 's fleet consists of Boeing 737 and Airbus A330s. Currently, the fleet strength stands at 15 B737-700s/800s, three A330-200s, three A330-300s, two Embraer E 175s and two ATRs 42-500. During 2011, one additional A330-200 will be delivered.

For the future Oman Air has ordered 6 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are scheduled for delivery in 2014.

Oman Air unveiled its First Class Mini Suite in October 2009 which marked a further milestone in Oman Air 's ongoing drive for quality and comfort. Earlier in 2009, Oman Air had unveiled its new,

lie-flat Business Class seat, which offers greater levels of comfort and amenity than many other airlines' first class products and is fitted on all the new Airbus wide-body fleet.

Marking a pioneering milestone in the history of aviation, Oman Air has become the first airline in the world to offer both mobile telephony and Internet connectivity on board its flights.

Oman Air and Malaysia Airlines entered a code-share partnership in June 2010, opening up more international destinations to their customers. Oman Air 's passengers, who currently enjoy direct flights to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, will now be connected to 4 new destinations in Malaysia - Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Kuching, and 2 new destinations in Asia - Singapore and Hong Kong. In turn, passengers flying from Kula-Lumpur to Muscat will be able to connect seamlessly to Amman and Kuwait City, with more options from Oman to Dubai and Beirut as well.

More recently Oman Air entered a code-share partnership with British Midlands International (BMI) announced a code-share agreement that will allow Oman Air 's customers to book flights from Oman's capital of Muscat to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Belfast or Manchester, via London Heathrow. BMI's customers will be able to book flights from any of the airline's UK departure points through to Muscat. The code-share agreement is effective since 1st April 2011 and customers will be able to book flights through either Oman Air or BMI outlets.

© Press Release 2011