(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- Oman Air increased its contribution to the sultanate's gross domestic product (GDP) by six per cent last year to RO415mn. And this contribution to the national economy, the national carrier said, is projected to RO900mn in 2017.
'Even in the context of increasing global volatility, economic downturn and drastically reduced government support from over RO100mn to just RO20mn in 2016, Oman Air increased its contribution to Oman's GDP by six per cent last year to RO415mn. This is projected to grow further to a staggering RO900mn in 2017; creating employment opportunities for Omani nationals, bringing tourists to the sultanate, building global connections and last but not the least, supporting SMEs,' Oman Air said in a press release issued on Wednesday.
Continued fleet and network expansion, together with a renewed focus on on-board services and developments will be a priority for Oman Air in 2017. These will help the airline drive up revenues, increase its growing contribution to the national economy and deliver against its ten-year development plan, the carrier said.
This message will be reiterated at Oman Air's major global conference to be held in Muscat on Thursday.
The conference will be opened by H E Maitha al Mahruqi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism and deputy chairman of Oman Air, and hosted by Paul Gregorowitsch, chief executive officer of the airline.
Hundreds of staff from all over the world will congregate in Muscat, where they will hear an update on 2016 results and discuss the outlook for Oman Air in 2017. The focus will be on achieving improved results and providing the best possible customer experience, despite the continuing unpredictability in the market.
The airline continued to prove its worth on the international stage in 2016 with a raft of industry awards to add to its growing collection.
Oman Air signed a revised flight agreement with the Indian government resulting in increased frequencies to five of Oman Air's 11 Indian destinations. It plans to launch a new four-times weekly flight from Muscat to Nairobi, Kenya at the end of March this year. A new daily flight to Manchester, UK will start from May 2017 services to Pakistan will be boosted with the launch of a new Muscat to Peshawar flight set for later in the year.
Oman Air said fleet expansion is critical to support the network expansion and 2016 saw the introduction of six new Boeing 737-800s joining its fleet. With the addition of the new Boeing 737-800, Oman Air's fleet stands at 46. Currently Oman Air's fleet consists of four Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 22 Boeing 737-800, one Boeing 737-700 and four Embraer 175s. Three more Boeing 737 – 800s are scheduled to join the fleet and this year, Oman Air will be unveiling new B787-9 Dreamliners and revamping the existing Airbus fleet.
Gregorowitsch said, '2016 was a year of significant growth. Our progress in the past year could not have been achieved without the ongoing support of all our business partners. These include the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) in securing our increasing entitlements and the Oman Airports Management Co (OAMC) who tirelessly helped us to accommodate increasing flights and passenger numbers at a constrained airport; we look forward to the new passenger terminal opening later this year.'
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.