Muscat – Oman Air has restored 65 per cent of its pre-pandemic network, according to Abdulaziz bin Saud al Raisi, CEO of Oman Air.

He stressed that the national carrier is ready to increase its destinations with the increase in travel demand.

He told ONA that business is now improving, and that he expects the growth momentum to continue with the return of full operations of the fleet and destinations between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.

The airline has already restarted most routes of its network of destinations that were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, except for Morocco and China. “Beginning December, we will re-start flights to Moscow, with plans to launch more destinations in 2023.”

Raisi added that a rise in fuel prices, the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and measures applied at a number of international airports had significantly affected the company’s revenues.

“There is close cooperation between the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Omran Group and Oman Air to promote the sultanate as a unique and distinguished tourist destination, and we hope that this will contribute to an increase in the number of tourists in 2023.”

Raisi also informed that in view of the severe impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector, it was agreed with the manufacturer to postpone delivery of aircraft booked earlier to 2027.

“Our medium-term goals require a fleet of two sustainable aircraft variants, the Boeing 787 and 737, which will reduce our environmental footprint and increase our operational efficiencies,” he said.

On Omanisation, Raisi affirmed that the company invests significantly in training Omani youth, especially in the field of employment-related training. “The employment policy implemented during the past five years resulted in raising the percentage of Omanisation to 94 per cent in the current year.”