Change is in the air
The new aircrafts to fly to the regional destinations of Oman Air
71 seats, in a dual-class layout, with 11 seats in business class and 60 in economy class
Combines best of Inflight Entertainment and comfort
Oman Air unveiled the new member to its fleet, the EMBRAER 175 at a ceremony organised at the Muscat International Airport where invited journalists, trade partners and special guests got a chance to see the interiors of the brand new aircraft. Oman Air is now the proud owner of two Embraer E jets, which will be deployed to the regional routes that Oman Air flies to. The deal was originally announced in November 2009 and includes firm orders for five EMBRAER 175s, plus options for another five aircrafts.
"The E-Jets are the ideal platform from which we can expand our regional route network and better align frequency with demand", said Salim Mohammed Al Kindi, Chief Technical Officer and the Acting CEO of Oman Air. "Having this flexibility allows us to introduce more point to point routes currently not sustainable with larger aircraft, as well as upgrading our services to domestic destinations like Khasab and the other new airports currently being developed within the Sultanate of Oman."
With passenger demand for regional travel on the increase, the pressure is on for regional jets to carry more passengers more frequently to closer destinations. Clearly, passenger demand is trending toward the 70 to 110 seat segment, a range for which an efficient aircraft family didn't exist until now. This is the gap that Oman Air is now filling with the brand new Embraer E 175s
Embraer S.A. is the world's largest manufacturer of commercial jets up to 120 seats, and one of Brazil's leading exporters. Embraer's headquarters are located in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and it has offices, industrial operations and customer service facilities in Brazil, China, France, Portugal, Singapore, and the United States. Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft for the commercial aviation, executive aviation, and defence segments. The Company also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide.
"We are convinced that the E-jets will bring positive value for Oman Air on its regional network," said Paulo César de Souza e Silva, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. "Defining itself as a 'boutique airline' in the Gulf area, Oman Air will be offering its customers optimum comfort with the EMBRAER 175."
"At Embraer, we continually analyze the industry's performance and interpret trends to understand the future need for aircraft, the markets in which they are deployed, and the economic motivations that drive passenger demand. Today's shifting market dynamics led us to the principle of fleet capacity optimization and The Rule of 70 to 110. Applied
correctly, The Rule helps airlines achieve operating efficiency without compromising performance or passenger comfort. The EMBRAER 170, 175, 190, and 195 are a new-evolution family of aircraft, each engineered from the ground up to be comfortable, efficient, and cost-effective. From the earliest planning stages, our engineers understood the need for a new platform, an airframe created specifically for the 70 to 110 seat segment. The result incorporates new technology on the flight deck and proven design elements in the cabin, making the new airframe both pilot and passenger friendly." Said Souza e Silva Inside
Oman Air's EMBRAER 175 will be configured with 71 seats, in a dual-class layout, with 11 seats in business class and 60 in economy.
Oman Air also signed the Embraer Pool Flight Hour Program service contract. The agreement covers the new EMBRAER 175 jet. Embraer's Pool program quickly provides replacement parts and eliminates the need for inventory investments, via an agreement in which the customer invests a certain amount, based on the number of flight hours of the aircraft enrolled in the program, against the support needed at any point in time. Embraer assumes the responsibility for maintaining a parts inventory at its distribution and service centres, in order to provide parts to operators as soon as they are requested.
Embraer's E-Jets family comprises four aircraft, seating from 70 to 122 passengers, which began deliveries in 2004. E-Jets have achieved outstanding success, with nearly 950 firm orders logged and more than 700 aircraft already delivered, worldwide, with nearly 50 in the Middle East. This proven family is helping airlines to rightsize low load factor narrow-body routes, by substituting 50-seat regional jets and replacing older, inefficient airplanes. They are operated to develop new markets with lower costs and higher efficiency.
Corporate Communications & Media
Oman Air
12 April 2011
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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.
About the EMBRAER 170/190 E-Jets family
The EMBRAER 170/190 family of E-Jets consists of four commercial jets with 70 to 122 seats, featuring advanced engineering design, efficient performance, outstanding operating economics, low emission levels and a spacious cabin without middle seats.
The E-Jets have a maximum cruising speed of Mach 0.82, can fly at 41,000 feet (12,497 meters) and have ranges of up to 2,400 nautical miles (4,448 kilometers). The high degree of commonality among the four aircraft - EMBRAER 170, EMBRAER 175, EMBRAER 190 and EMBRAER 195 - results in exceptional savings for carriers, in terms of crew training and costs of spare parts and maintenance. Another key feature of the E-Jets is the state-of-the- art, fly-by-wire technology, which increases operating safety, while reducing pilot workload and fuel consumption.
The double-bubble fuselage design provides superior comfort and includes two main passenger entrances and two service doors, thus minimizing aircraft turn-around time.
The EJets offer much more space for passengers, in a single or dual-class layout, than other aircraft with similar seating capacities. For more details, visit www.EmbraerCommercialJets.com.
The E-Jets have achieved outstanding success, with more than 900 firm orders logged and 700 jets in operation, worldwide. In Europe, there are currently 16 registered airlines flying 161 Embraer E-Jets. Worldwide they have accumulated 4.8 million flight hours and transported more than 200 million passengers. This proven family is helping airlines to right size low load factor narrowbody routes, to replace older, inefficient aircraft, and to develop new markets with lower operating costs, greater efficiency, and outstanding passenger comfort. To better understand the benefits of these aircraft, when substituting older jets, visit www.eforefficiency.com.
© Press Release 2011
