Distinguishing itself for its personalised service, authentic Omani hospitality, and meticulous attention to all elements of the guest journey, Oman Air continues to position itself among the world’s major carriers. Sunil V A, Regional Vice-President, Indian Sub-Continent and Far East, Commercial, Oman Air, gives an insight into the airline which is growing from strength to strength and has established a strong international presence as it now flies as far as Europe and the Far East.
– Prashant Nayak
Oman Air passed a major milestone in March 2023 on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. The airline has a clear objective of being the best, based on the scope and size of its operations. The airline continues to represent the warm hospitality and tradition of the Sultanate of Oman, which makes it a truly boutique airline.
The Indian aviation market has been emerging rapidly over the last few years. Post-pandemic and at Oman Air, they have seen a surge in growth with acquisitions, mergers, and aircraft orders, which warrants the growth in traffic both for domestic and international travel. “The visionary decision of the government of India to have more airports across the country will be the game changer for the aviation industry in the country,” hints Sunil.
India is Oman Air’s second largest market after Oman, which has been growing steadily with the increase in traffic between the multiple cities in India with the two key international airports in Oman – Muscat and Salalah, respectively. Reflecting upon some challenges, Sunil mentions, “We have seen congestion and lack of slots at airports. This presents a key challenge, which is expected to ease out with the infrastructure expansion at the current airports and the plans to have more airports across the country. However, the economic constraints are a challenge in most of the countries we operate in, which is understandable as it is being taken by regulatory authorities to mitigate long-term constraints.”
Oman Air aims at delivering a seamless travel experience to all its guests and on-time performance tops its priority list in terms of deliverables. The airline offers convenient flying times and unmatched services which suit the requirements of any guest profile.
“We are constantly on the lookout to improve service levels at every supplier and guest touch point to make the selling or travelling experience unique. Our ‘Sindbad’ frequent flyer programme offers attractive options to all our guests and has many partners with whom the earned miles or points can be redeemed. Competition is always healthy and propels growth of the market with the regular introduction of new products and services. Oman Air is also geared up to innovate and provide unique experiences to our guests,” asserts Sunil.
Oman Air also has an efficient guest relations team that works relentlessly to solve the grievances of guests and their prime objective is to address issues with compassion. Sunil adds, “As regards resolutions for our travel partners during these challenging times, we will walk that extra mile and extend our arms to support them whilst making them comfortable working with us and forging a long-standing association.”
The aviation industry is working hard to reduce its environmental impact and minimise its carbon footprint. However, more needs to be done. The industry is currently responsible for 2 per cent of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions, with an expected growth of up to 700 per cent by 2050 if no effective measures are introduced. On sustainability, Sunil says, “We are truly on the way to adopting sustainable business practices. There are quite a few challenges in this regard related to cost and availability. The industry as a whole is working hard incessantly to adopt multiple practices. These steps, we too shall embrace on our way forward as our responsibility towards the society.”
Oman Air has added more flights to its existing routes in Europe, the Far East, GCC, and the subcontinent. The airline has commenced operations to Trabzon in Turkey, Moscow in Russia, and Phuket in Thailand, and the newest route has been Male in the Maldives, which commenced on June 24, 2023. “As we continue our journey to further spread our wings, we are extremely excited about our plans to recommence operations to the cities of Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram in India effective Oct 1, 2023,” shares Sunil.
Oman Air has been designated ‘Best Airline Staff in the Middle East’ at the Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards. Having achieved the ‘Best Airline Staff in the Middle East Award in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2021, the airline also recently earned the 2023 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), as well as World’s Leading Airline: Business Class, World’s Leading Airline: Customer Experience, and World’s Leading Airline Lounge at the World Travel Awards 2022.
