Oman Air CEO Con Korfiatis
Oman Air believes it will receive most of its outstanding orders for Boeing 787-9s and 737 MAX-8s this year but remains uncertain of the exact number.
“We have three 787-9s meant to deliver this year, plus three MAX-8s, and another two MAX-8s in the first half of next year,” Oman Air CEO Con Korfiatis told ATW on the sidelines of the airshow. “We’re looking at getting a decent number of what’s coming this year, but it’s still flawed.”
He said that “hopefully” two of the 787s and two of the 737s will arrive this year.
The Gulf carrier is in the middle of a major re-fleeting of its long-haul aircraft. The company’s fleet has until recently been split between nine 787s (two -8s and seven -9s) and 10 Airbus A330s, in a mix of -200s and -300s.
The A330s were taken out of service earlier this year; seven are leased to Qatar Airways, while three -300s are parked at Oman Air’s base in Muscat.
Given the delays in deliveries of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, Korfiatis does not believe they will be difficult to dispose of. “I received early phone calls asking, ‘Do you want to get rid of them, do you want to sell them, lease them, damp lease them?’” he said. “It’s a unique opportunity, given the delays in aircraft deliveries. We’re looking at it seriously.”
The airline ran the numbers on whether to dispose of the A330s or the 787s and decided to remain vested in the Boeing aircraft: “The 787s have [better] fuel efficiency, and lower maintenance costs over the A330s.”
Oman Air is scheduled to receive a further batch of six 787-9s in the 2027-29 timeframe.
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