CEO Pearce of Oman Air Adding Aircraft to Fleet

Oman Air Adding New Planes to Fleet

Chief Executive of Oman Air, Wayne Pearce said that his company was taking a closer look at a follow-on order for Boeing Company’s 787 Dreamliner. Pearce, who has been CEO of Oman Air for 15 months, explained that increasing the airline’s fleet would allow the national carrier of Oman to increase its number of routes to European destinations.

Oman Air is also examining the addition of the Boeing 737 aircraft to increase service to the Middle East and India. This addition is part of the airlines plans to increase its number of planes to 50 from the present number of 42 which are already in operation or are ready to be delivered.

Pearce’s decision to incorporate the Boeing 787s into Oman Air’s fleet is a much needed vote of confidence in the beleaguered 787, which has not had a purchase order since it was grounded due to battery problems on January 16. The acquisition will likely be confirmed within the next several months. The 787s would boost up Oman’s fleet of six 737-800s and its six Dreamliners which are scheduled to arrive at the end of 2014 and from 2015.

"You need a bigger fleet to get the critical mass," Pearce said. "With a bigger magnitude you get better profitability, and we're in an ideal part of the world with plenty of opportunity to keep growing."

Oman Air Adding Daily Flight to Tehran

Oman Air Adding Flights to Tehran

Beginning on September 1st Oman’s national air carrier, Oman Air, will begin servicing the Iranian capital of Tehran with a daily flight from Muscat. There were will be two departure times: 2am three days per week; and 9:30am four days per week. Return flights will also be offered in two time slots; 6:10am three days; and 12:40pm on four days.

Wayne Pearce, CEO of Oman Air announced the new flight, saying,

"We are extremely pleased to be launching our new service between Muscat and Tehran and to be offering customers the opportunity to travel aboard our outstanding Embraer 175 regional jets. Tehran offers visitors the opportunity to gain insights into not only Iran's unique culture, but also its rich and ancient history. Furthermore, Tehran is a major business hub and we anticipate strong demand from both business and leisure passengers.”

Rolls Royce Engines to Power Boeing Dreamliners for Oman Air

Peter Hill CEO of Oman Air

Chief executive officer of Oman Air, Peter Hill announced that his airline has ordered Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines for the half dozen Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which were recently ordered from Boeing.

First Airline to Use Trent 1000

According to the announcement Oman Air is the first airline in the Middle East to choose this particular engine. Last month the RR Trent 1000 powered the first 787 Dreamliner which was commissioned into service.

CEO Peter Hill said,

“We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with Rolls-Royce through the selection of Trent technology, for next generation aircraft, that offers both efficiency and environmental advantages.

“In line with our expansion plan, which saw us receiving the first two Embraer E175 aircraft this year, we have now confirmed our order for the next phase of our fleet strategy. The 787 Dreamliner achieves new levels of fuel efficiency, a significant portion of that improvement provided by engine technology which also reduces emissions and noise.”

Service in 2015

Today Trent 700 engines power Airbus A330 aircraft for Oman Air. These planes are supported by a TotalCare long term service agreement with Airbus. The six new Boeing 787 Dreamliners are scheduled to go into service in the year 2015.

Debit Cards Now Accepted on Oman Air’s Web Site

Good news for travelers wishing to book tickets via Oman Air’s website: passengers can now reserve their seats and pay for their tickets using their debit cards. Now, even passengers who do not have credit cards but only debit cards will be able to make their transaction on the internet.

Debit Cards Now Accepted

Oman Air is the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, and the company has been allowing customers to purchase their tickets on-line since 2006, but only if they had a credit card. Now Oman Air’s enhanced service gives those with only a debit/prepaid/ATM card issued with either Visa or Master Card will also be able to purchase tickets on their web site.

Oman Air has been strategizing to create a more customer-friendly environment through enhanced technology and other innovations. The website is completely secure, and all credit card transactions are encrypted for added protection. If the customer’s bank has activated the “Verified by Visa” or “Secured by “Master Card” service so doubly secure online shopping, Oman Air also supports this additional security feature.

Heightened Luxury on Oman Air

Other innovations and improvements which Oman Air has recently incorporated into their customer-company interface have been higher standards of luxury such as state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment with live satellite TV, in-flight mobile phone usage and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Oman Air Employees Join National Unrest Movement

This past Sunday employees of one of Oman’s major companies took to the streets outside the headquarters of Oman Air in Muscat, not far from the Gulf state’s international airport in Oman’s capital city. This latest protest comes on the heels of several days of demonstrations in Oman demanding political reforms. Oman, together with Bahrain, the small island state in the Persian Gulf, have been the locales for the largest and most enduring outbursts of unrest in the Gulf states which is part of the general unrest transpiring in the Arab world since January 25th’s explosion in Tunisia and then in Egypt.

No Disruption in Flights

According to several witnesses about 100 employees at Oman Air joined together in the late morning hours to call for better working conditions. The national air carrier’s chief officer for corporate affairs, Philippe Georgiou stated that no flights were disrupted by the demonstration and that the airline is ready and willing to discuss issues with the protesters. Mr. Georgiou told the Associated Press that the demonstrators represented several corporate departments and they have a wide range of demands, one of which being higher compensation.

Mr. Georgiou said of the timing of the protest that, “The general environment is of people expressing their views … in the region.”

Watchful Eye on Oman

The other Gulf nations, especially Saudi Arabia, are keeping a wary watch on the unrest in their fellow regional states, especially Oman. Oman, along with Iran, shares the responsibility of controlling the crucial waterway through which 40% of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes, the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman Air services 41 destinations, mostly in the Middle East and India, with a few routes to Europe and Southeast Asia as well.

Government Shakeup

Protesters have come out to demonstrate throughout Oman, staging sit-ins and similar events, to call on the government to reform the economy and hold investigations into who is responsible for attacks on protesters. In response to the unrest, on Saturday Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman, fired three key government officials in what was the second installment of government shakeups in the same number of weeks.