Oman Air cutting back on routes, aircraft and Chelsea FC – oneworld membership off?
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It was announced in 2022 that Oman Air was seeking membership of the oneworld airline alliance. This was a welcome move, given that British Airways was no longer flying to Muscat and that I’d been impressed by the three flights I’d done with them.
The airline has been in financial difficulties for some time and is now taking drastic action. The A330 fleet of long haul aircraft was permanently retired over the weekend.
This means that Oman Air has lost just over 50% of its 19-strong long-haul fleet, with only nine Boeing 787 aircraft left (I think a tenth is on order). There are also 25 short haul Boeing 737 planes.
With fewer long haul aircraft, it is cutting all flights to Chittagong, Colombo, Islamabad and Lahore. Male, Trabzon and Zurich will become seasonal services. Some long haul routes will also switch from flat bed A330 aircraft to a Boeing 737, which has a US-style single aisle Business Class seat which does not become a bed.
The Oman Air partnership with Chelsea FC has also been abruptly terminated. The deal – which has been running for less than a year – was reportedly worth $2.5m per season and saw the airline logo appear on team shirts.
With all this going on, and the airline moving more towards being a point to point operator rather than a hub carrier, it remains to be seen whether it will continue with its application to join oneworld. It will no longer see much benefit from connecting alliance traffic and the move is likely to increase central costs.
That said, it is only fair to point out that Oman Air retains a larger fleet, both long haul and short haul, than fellow Middle Eastern oneworld member Royal Jordanian.
How Oman intends to fill its stunning but huge $1.8 billion new terminal at Muscat International Airport, which opened in 2018, is another issue.
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