Oman Air Celebrates The Launch Of New Milan Service

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, launched its new direct service last December between Muscat, capital of Oman, and the commercial centre and fashion capital of Italy, Milan. The new flights to Milan depart Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, returning the same day. Oman Air’s newly introduced Airbus A330 aircraft featuring, Business and Economy class seating, is operating the new route.

A high-level delegation from Oman Air, led by Oman Air’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Hill, along with Dr Juma bin Ali al Juma, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), besides Omani businessmen, was in Milan for the airline’s launch celebrations.

To commemorate its new flights to Milan, Oman Air had arranged a glamorous gala dinner on the 25th, at the luxurious Hotel Principe di Savoia. This was held under the patronage of His Excellency Darwish bin Ismail bin Ali Al Balushi, Secretary General of Ministry of Finance. A press conference was also held on the launching of the new service.

Peter Hill Oman Air’s Chief Executive Officer says:

There has been tremendous excitement surrounding the start of Oman Air’s new Milan service. As Italy’s capital of culture, design, and fashion, and one of the world’s great business and financial centers, it is sure to be a popular destination for travellers from Oman and from many other destinations within our rapidly expanding network. The city of Milan is undeniably one of the most popular destinations in Europe, attracting millions of visitors every year. The new service also offers travellers from Italy a great opportunity to discover the beauty and hospitality of Oman.

Peter Hill continues:

Milan boasts one of the world’s most revered opera houses – La Scala, which, with the imminent completion of the Royal Opera House in Muscat, underlines the perfect timing of Oman Air’s new service to the city. We look forward to build closer ties in many sectors including business, tourism, and investment. As well, our foray into the very competitive European segment will open up new markets for us, due to the superior features of our product. I am confident that our new flights to Milan will enhance further the strong relations that exist between Oman and Italy."

Over the last year, Oman Air has redefined air travel, setting new standards for comfort and luxury in every class, introducing state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, including live satellite TV, and pioneering in-flight mobile phone and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Peter Hill concludes:

“As the only airline to offer a direct service from Italy to Oman, we are inviting the Italian people to visit Oman and to experience the Sultanate’s legendary hospitality, dramatic landscapes, and unspoiled coastline. With world-class hotels, an incredible range of leisure activities and year-round sunshine, Oman looks forward to offering visitors the warmest of welcomes. With the unmatched luxury provided by our new fleet of Airbus and the exceptional services both on board and at the airport, we are sure Oman Air will reinforce its position in long haul routes.”

Milan is Oman Air’s 41st destination, and the ninth unveiled since the beginning of last year.

Ends

About Oman Air
Oman Air is the flagship carrier of the Sultanate of Oman. Founded in 1993, the airline has since witnessed massive growth and has played a major role in making Muscat an important traffic hub in the Middle East, supporting the commercial, industrial and tourism sectors.

The airline currently operates direct international flights from Muscat to Gulf destinations, such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah. Within the Middle East region, Oman Air flies to Cairo in Egypt, Beirut in Lebanon and Amman in Jordan.

In addition, Oman Air flies to ten destinations in India – Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Jaipur. Within the Subcontinent, Oman Air also flies to Chittagong in Bangladesh, Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan and Colombo in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Oman Air flies to the Indian Ocean islands of the Maldives. Within the Far East, Oman Air destinations include Bangkok in Thailand and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Among its European destinations are: London in the United Kingdom, Munich and Frankfurt in Germany and Paris in France. Oman Air also flies to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania since June 2010.

In September, Oman Air commenced operations to Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and Kathmandu in Nepal. Milan, Italy, was latest addition to the expanding network of Oman Air destinations.

Oman Air’s fleet consists of Boeing 737 and Airbus A330s. Currently, the fleet strength stands at 15 B737-700s/800s, three A330-200s, three A330-300s and two ATRs 42-500. During 2011, one additional A330-200 will be delivered.

Also, Oman Air recently signed a contract with Embraer for the purchase of five Embraer 175 aircraft from the E-Jets family, with purchase rights for another five aircraft. The first delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2011. For the future Oman Air has ordered 6 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are scheduled for delivery in 2014.

Oman Air unveiled its First Class Mini Suite in October 2009 which marks a further milestone in Oman Air’s ongoing drive for quality and comfort. Earlier in 2009, Oman Air had unveiled its new, lie-flat Business Class seat, which offers greater levels of comfort and amenity than many other airlines’ first class products and is fitted on all the new Airbus wide-body fleet.

Marking a pioneering milestone in the history of aviation, Oman Air has become the first airline in the world to offer both mobile telephony and Internet connectivity on board its flights.

Oman Air and Malaysia Airlines entered a code-share partnership in June 2010, opening up more international destinations to their customers. Oman Air’s passengers, who currently enjoy direct flights to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, will now be connected to 4 new destinations in Malaysia – Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Kuching, and 2 new destinations in Asia – Singapore and Hong Kong.

In turn, passengers flying from Kula-Lumpur to Muscat will be able to connect seamlessly to Amman and Kuwait City, with more options from Oman to Dubai and Beirut as well.

Corporate Communications & Media
Oman Air

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