Oman Air hopes to fly to Kolkata by next year
Date
9/25/2016 1:23:41 AM
(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-
The much-awaited direct connection from Muscat to the eastern Indian city of Kolkata could soon be realised as Oman Air hopes to secure operational rights from the Indian government by early next year. Ahmedabad is another Indian city which the national carrier is hoping to fly soon.
Kolkata has been on Oman Air's radar for the last couple of years, with top officials announcing in the past that they were keen in connecting Muscat to the eastern metropolis. The latest report comes from Oman Air officials in India, with Sunil V A, regional vice president, Oman Air, India, stating, 'We fly to 11 destinations in India and desire to make Kolkata the 12th.' The national carrier is ready to launch flights on the Muscat-Kolkata sector from next year and has submitted a proposal to the Indian government, reported the Indian media. 'We hope to start operating from 2017. All our papers are ready and we are just waiting for the bilaterals to happen. This can take place by the end of this year, or early next year,' Sunil V A said. 'A lot of Bengalis stay in Oman. This flight will be a boon for them. Also, the outbound traffic from Kolkata would get another carrier which can take them to European, African and other Arab nations,' he added. 'A lot of Omanis come to India for tourism. They will be able to explore Bengal. We would speak to the state tourism department on this once we get the permission. The flying time between Kolkata and Oman is just four hours.' Usama Karim al Haremi, senior manager, corporate communications and media, Oman Air, said that the airline was looking forward to starting new flights to Indian cities. 'Oman Air is waiting for the traffic rights to be finalised to start its operations to Kolkata and Ahmedabad, among other Indian cities.' Bhanu Mohan Kaila, country manager - India, Oman Air, was quoted as saying that the airline currently services 11 destinations with 126 flights every week, offering onward connections to European and African cities. 'But given the potential in India, we are keen to add more destinations, like Kolkata and Ahmedabad. It takes time to secure approvals. We have applied for permissions not only to add new destinations but also increase flights to some of the locations we already serve. Some cities have only one flight per day. This can go up,' Kaila said. The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) is organising a four-city roadshow till Monday with the aim to further promote Oman as a key tourist destination for Indian travellers. The roadshows were scheduled in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Pune. With an increase of 17 per cent in tourist arrivals in the sultanate last year, India is a crucial market for Oman. The roadshow is one of the important marketing programmes planned this year for the target market by the ministry. 'We are expecting a double-digit increase in tourists from India this and the next year. Oman received 299,022 Indian nationals in 2015, reflecting a 17 per cent increase over 2014. This reflects a growth of 60 per cent in the number of Indians travelling to Oman in the last five years,' Lubaina Sheerazi, India representative of MoT, said.