Oman Air wants to spread wings in India; approaches Aviation Ministry

New Delhi, December 19: Oman Air is hopeful for an increase in traffic rights to India which would drive more leisure tourists to the West Asian country and help feed its flights to Europe and Africa.

 

Eng Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air said, “We have approached the government to give us the permission to fly more often to India and to other destinations as well. However, as per the bilateral policy, at the moment, we have reached saturation.” Currently, the airline has flights to Oman three times a day from Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad; two times a day from Bengaluru, Lucknow, Cochin and Chennai; and daily from Jaipur and Goa.

Sunil VA, regional vice-president ISC, Oman Air, said Oman received 3.21 lakh Indian visitors in 2017, registering a year-on-year growth of over 7 percent. The estimated growth for 2018 is 18 percent.

Raisi said the government of Oman is constantly looking to boost tourism by stepping up investments. As an extension of this strategy, the airline is focusing on point-to-point travel and promoting Oman as a destination among potential Indian travelers.

However, volatility in fuel prices and the competition in the Indian aviation industry along with the rupee’s slide (seem to have cast a shadow over the airline’s plan.