Oman Air recently added to its fleet a new 737-700 Boeing aircraft. The new aircraft has the capacity to carry a total of 125 passengers and will be named after the Omani town of Sur. The airline now operates four Boeing planes and four ATR, reported ONA.
The aircraft will be used for flights on Middle East and Subcontinent routes in addition to Doha and Dubai. According to Board Chairman of Oman Air Hamad Bin Hashim Al-Dhahab, the company signed another purchase and leasing agreement for five more Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 planes.
Presently, Oman Air serves 14 destinations, twelve of which are international and two domestic, in Salalah and Khasab. As of June 1, 2002, the airline is scheduled to expand its operations to the Indian sub-continent with seven direct connections to Thiruvananthapuram, six to Chennai, 10 to Mumbai and four or five flights to Kochi.
Commencing operations in 1993, the Muscat-based Oman Air is 34 percent state-owned, with the remaining 66 percent held by Omani individuals and corporate shareholders. The carrier’s fleet currently includes two Airbus A320-325s. Two ATR 42-500s and three Fokker F-27-500 operate on short-haul routes.
Oman Air is the first commercial operator in the Gulf to purchase Boeing's new version of the 737. The company currently operates three new generation Boeing 737 aircraft, with the fourth aircraft scheduled for delivery by May-end 2002. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
