Salalah - Dubai from 04th May
Muscat - Zanzibar from 16th May
The National Carrier of the Sultanate of Oman will be resuming services between Salalah and Dubai from May 4th and between Muscat and Zanzibar from May 16th. Salalah flights will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Zanzibar will operate 3 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Announcing this, Abdulrazaq Alraisi, Chief Commercial Officer, Oman Air said:
"Oman Air is very happy and excited to bring back Zanzibar to our Network. It is a unique destination in terms of tourism potential as well as business and commercial prospects. Oman has friendly relations with Zanzibar and represents our third destination in Africa and second in Tanzania. We are confident Zanzibar will open up new and unique opportunities in bi-lateral tourism and promote both inbound and outbound travels for Oman as well as Zanzibar. Our flights will help build stronger business ties between the two nations and will increase opportunities for tourists from Europe and India sub-Continent who wish to explore and enjoy this unique destination. "
Once a major dhow building hub of the East African region, Zanzibar is now a bustling fishing centre and much of the area's rustic charm remains to delight sports and cultural enthusiasts as well as nature and party lovers. Tourism has long since replaced the ancient art of dhow-building as the town's major industry, but the essence of olden days and its cultural heritage can still be found.
With Salalah Tourism Festival round the corner, the direct and non-stop flights from Salalah to Dubai is expected to bring in big number of tourists into Salalah who can enjoy the cool climes of this city as well as enjoy the festivities of the 45-days-long Salalah Tourism Festival which coincides with the Khareef season.
Abdulrazaq Alraisi said: 'The number of tourists from the Gulf states visiting Salalah during the annual Khareef season has been steadily increasing. With our direct flights we are sure we can cater to more enthusiastic travellers who wish to escape the sizzling summer heat of much of the Arabian Gulf for the cool climate and Monsoon showers of Khareef season."-Ends-
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 Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania since June 2010.
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.
Corporate Communications & Media
Oman Air
© Press Release 2011
