Oman Air will drop a number of its routes to Asia following a restructuring of operations aiming to improve financial performance and strengthen its position in the Middle East.
The largely regional airline said it would be cancelling four routes to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as part of the restructuring, as well as moving three of its routes to seasonal operations and reducing frequencies to some destinations.
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Additionally, a statement outlining an ‘optimisation’ of the airline’s schedule said: “To better cater to the Omani market and serve key flows in and out of Oman, flight times have been revised for several of its destinations, with emphasis on more favourable slots to offer greater convenience for direct passengers and maximise connection windows.”
However, alongside the reduction of flights to some routes, the airline said it would be adding flights to Sialkot, Pakistan, to its offerings and increasing capacity to Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram in India.
The strategic changes are likely reflective of the airline’s attempt to compete in the highly competitive Middle East market which is largely dominated by some of the world’s biggest airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways.
In addition to its own ambitions, Oman Air also tied the restructuring to maintaining its alignment with its home country’s 2040 vision, a two decade plan outlining economic, environmental and cultural ambitions for the country.
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By GlobalDataWhile not as large as the flag carriers of its neighbouring countries, Oman’s airline has been carrying out a “major transformation plan” since August 2023 to fuel its expansion over the next 3-4 years, including building on its partnership with Chelsea FC.
