Published on : Thursday, January 3, 2019
By the end of 2019, IATA forecast Omani aviation will have grown 40% over a three-year period — a very promising statistic, that itself is helping drive aviation growth in the region.
It is a new $1.8bn terminal at Muscat’s International has already opened its doors to passengers flying to, from or through Oman.
The new terminal raised the capacity up to 20mn passengers per year, and is equipped with the latest technology to accommodate aircraft including the superjumbo Airbus A380.
The next chapter is not only encouraging for Oman’s growth, but it features a new airline with a fresh approach, ready to shake up Oman’s aviation industry. “SalamAir” is the name of the first Omani low-cost airline in the history of the sultanate. The young airline already flies to much of the Gulf, taking advantage of Oman’s neutrality in the current Gulf crisis conflict, and operating to Gulf cities including Doha, Dubai and Jeddah.
SalamAir is well positioned to be part of and help accelerate Oman’s air travel growth, and CEO Captain Mohamed Ahmed – an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, including at other Arab airline start-ups – is confident of the airline’s goal to be able to reach 60 destinations in five years.
The idea of an Omani airline with a business model based purely around low fares is a somewhat foreign concept to the sultanate, but a very familiar one elsewhere around the world. While other low-cost carriers catering for mass markets, such as Europe, may operate solely as a business, Oman’s first low-cost carrier has the potential to influence, shape and determine how people travel between Oman and short-range destinations.
Last summer, Salam Air – the “Simply Omani” airline was already flying four times a day between Salalah and Muscat, with Airbus aircraft more than 90% full – a clear example of Omanis opting to leave their cars at home, and fly cheaply instead.
On the domestic side of Omani aviation, a new airport terminal at Duqm opened, adding to the ‘new airport’ portfolio of ‘Oman Airports’ company. The terminal building spans 8,660sqm and has a capacity for 500,000 passengers annually, with the potential to expand to 2mn.
The passenger numbers are on the rise, specifically for transit passengers who are using Muscat as their one-stop layover between Europe and Asia. In this new year 2019, it will be interesting to witness Oman’s aviation industry growth, along with what’s set to be another busy year for neighbouring Gulf airports.
Tags: Oman, oman aviation