‘Oman Air contributes OMR415m to national economy’

Muscat: National carrier, Oman Air has contributed OMR415 million to the national economy in 2016, according to Oman Air’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Gregorowitsch.
“This year, we received a contribution from Ministry of Finance of OMR34 million and we are contributing a sum of OMR415 million to Oman’s economy. If you have put your money in the bank, and get 14 times the return, then I think that it is an outstanding investment,” he said.
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Regarding the economic down Oman is facing, he said: “We don’t notice it directly in the number of the guests we are carrying on board. But if we take the average price of tickets then, there is a decline of 20 per cent compared to last year. But we are continuing to invest and provide our services and we believe the quality of our products should be a reflection of the beauty of the country. However we are cutting costs wherever it is possible, in ways that it is not experienced by our respected guests. And that, along with the support of the Omani government has made it possible for us to expand our growth from the 42 aircrafts we have today to the 70 aircrafts targeted by 2020”
Oman Air has also introduced a number of advanced facilities in the last few years to make their guests’ journey more enjoyable. “We do have facilities for entertainment and internet on board. Apart from that, we have replaced the heavy books and manuals for the pilots with electronic screens. The cabin crew are also given ipads so they have access to all information in order to help our guests onboard. Oman Air’s inflight passenger programmes are more advanced with more channels and internet services so people can download magazines and books while they are travelling.”
Oman Air faces tough competition from neighbouring countries and are glad as it boosts our performance “We have a lot of competitors here in the Gulf. Oman Air is one of the latest airlines that emerged much later, but we have a different mission. We have always been a stylish boutique airline that offers superb service and passengers are handled well. And that is the main difference” he said.
Regarding SalamAir, he said: “We welcome SalamAir as they will offer people another way of travel.”