Oman Air is to develop a long-term plan this summer, which will map out the airline's fleet and network objectives 'over the next ten years,' with development of cargo services and increased flights to India also earmarked as high priorities.
Addressing reporters at a conference on Monday, CEO Wayne Pearce said that two Embraer E175s will be joining the fleet in the third and fourth quarters of this year, with two Boeing 737s set to arrive in 2014 and four more to be delivered in 2015.
Six Boeing 787 Dreamliners are also on order, with two to be delivered in 2015, one each in 2016 and 2017 and two in 2018.
Speaking to Muscat Daily on the sidelines of the conference, Pearce said that the extra capacity created with the arrival of new aircraft will be deployed according to the long-term plan, which will be developed over a 12-week period, starting July.
He said, "At the moment we are concentrating on various issues and a long-term plan is one among them. We will initiate the process in July and hope to complete it in 12 weeks. This plan will address our fleet and network requirements over the next ten years.
"We will have a clearer picture when we get to it [the plan]. We have ideas but will need to carry out a proper study before embarking on it."
The Oman Air CEO added that although the number of destinations the airline can fly to in India and the frequency of flights are limited by bilateral agreements, he hopes talks can 'take place' on this matter.
He said, "There are no talks ongoing but we hope they will take place. The governments on both sides obviously have a lot of priorities, but that would be our top priority."
Oman Air said net passenger revenue grew 28 per cent during the January to May period this year, compared to a full-year increase of 28 per cent in 2011. This follows on the RO110mn loss reported in 2011 which was attributed to the 38 per cent rise in fuel costs.
Cargo revenue increased 47 per cent over the same five-month period, compared to a full-year increase of 28 per cent in 2011. Cargo tonnage jumped 33 per cent in the first five months this year, compared to a full-year increase of just 13 per cent in 2011.
Pearce added that he is 'keen' to develop the airline's cargo business as well as sea-air services in Muscat and Salalah, adding that he is 'conscious' of developments in Sohar and Duqm.
Developing the company's e-commerce capabilities is also an area for focus, with an Arabic version of its website to be ready by the end of 2012 with websites in more languages in the pipeline.
© Muscat Daily 2012
