Oman Air

Oman Air is the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, based in Muscat, in which the government holds 33.8% stake. It operates scheduled domestic and international passenger services, as well as local air taxi and charter work. Its main hub is at the Seeb International Airport, Muscat. The airline is member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization, a regional airline trade organization of Arab air services, founded in 1965. Oman Air also has code share agreements with Emirates and Gulf Air. Oman Air was the first airline in the Gulf to introduce the brand new Boeing NG 737 aircraft series. It was also the first ever airline to offer intra-Gulf commuter services.

History
Although Oman Air, the flagship company of the Sultanate of Oman�s Civil Aviation sector, was founded in 1981, it began operations in 1993. It was a merger between Gulf Air Light Aircraft division and Oman International Services that resulted in the formation of this airline, under the name of Oman Aviation Services. Its inaugural flight was from Muscat to Salalah. Oman Air commenced its international operations in July 1993, with a flight to Dubai. In the same year, the airline started its services to India, with a flight to Trivandrum. In 2001, Oman Air became the first International foreign Airline to fly to Kochi, India.

The government of Oman had pumped up its share in Oman Air in 2007 and also announced that the air service will possibly enter long-haul market. Due to these plans, the government also pulled out of Gulf Air, in order to fully concentrate on Oman Air. The first long haul services of the airline were commenced on November 26, 2007, with the launch of flights to Bangkok and London. The majority stake, around 97.6%, in the airline is now held by Omani government, leaving a minuscule share, around 2.4%, for the other investors.

Destinations Covered
Oman Air 29 covers an extensive international network, with destinations in 13 countries, from its primary hub in Muscat. It flies to France, Germany, and United Kingdom in Europe and Egypt in North Africa. The airline also covers Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Lebanon in South West Asia and Thailand in South East Asia. Oman Air serves India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Asia. Domestically, the ailrine flies to Khasat, Muscat and Salalah.

In India, Oman Air flies to Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Delhi. There are plans to launch flight operations to Frankfurt, Munich and Paris in Europe and Colombo and Male in South Asia. Oman Air operates 267 flights every week, according to the records available for 2009. It also plans to add five more destinations to its current network in 2009. Flights to U.S, Kenya and Tanzania have been terminated.

Fleet
Oman Air maintains a fleet of about 20 aircrafts, including thirteen Boeing 737-800, two Boeing 737-700, two ATR 42-500 and two Airbus A330-243. The airline will fly its first Airbus A330 from the Muscat International Airport by the end of August 2009. It has placed orders for 15 new aircrafts as well, to expand its fleet and also plans to lease two A330-200 from Jet Airways.