Oman Air moves in on UAE secondary airport trade

Oman Air is attacking regional business from the UAE with the launch of flights to nearby emirate Ras Al Khaimah next month.

Passengers from these areas would currently have to travel to Abu Dhabi or Dubai international airports for long haul or extended regional routes.

Oman has stepped up its service standards and cabin comforts and was the world's first airline to feature both onboard internet and mobile telephony. The airline will be working on taking passengers through the Muscat hub to other key destinations.

A spokesman for the airline said “We consider the GCC to be our home market and the introduction of Al Ain and Ras al-Khaimah will mean that we will have more destinations in the Gulf than other main carriers. It also serves our strategy to remain as the first choice carrier for Omani customers by offering wide network coverage in neighbouring countries. Subject to connectivity, we intend to open regular air services from third countries to AAN and RKT, which until now have had only limited passenger services.”

Those potential destinations have also increased with the May 1st inauguration of flights to Kuala Lumpur. The new route will be operated on Oman Air’s recently introduced Airbus A330 aircraft, featuring First, Business and Economy class seating.