Fares to India from Oman slashed as airlines compete for fliers

Muscat: An airfare war has begun for getting the larger chunk of the Indian customer base as two festivals: Eid Al Adha and Onam will coincide in the early September.
According to a travel agent, flights to the South Indian state of Kerala and to most other Indian destinations are almost fully booked in early September.
Oman Air, the Sultanate’s national carrier, had already announced special fares in the economy class to selected destinations for a limited period of time.
The round trip prices to different destinations in India start from OMR80, if one has to purchase before August 15.
Prices to Mumbai and Hyderabad are between OMR75 and OMR85 and the round price rate for other Indian destinations are below OMR150.
“Traditionally, if an airline lowers fares to a particular destination the other will follow and sometimes the airlines will have some online offers, which we are not aware of,” the travel agent told the Times of Oman (TOO).
More flights, such as Qatar Airways, flydubai will announce their offers soon, according to the travel agent.
“We don’t announce any offers, but always try to ensure competitive and attractive rates for our customers,” BP Kulkarni, country manager for Air India in Muscat, told TOO.
Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, has an online sale offering a 10 per cent discount that is valid from July 28 to 31 and for travel that should be completed by December 31.
“We are also offering special fares to Kochi, Thiruvanathapuram, Mumbai, Delhi and rest of India,” Mannu Anand, general manager of Jet Airways told TOO.
Ticket rates for Kochi and Thiruvanathapuram in Jet Airways will be below OMR140 in September.
“We also provide special offers to the Far East regions, such as Dhaka, Kathmandu, Bangkok and Singapore,” he added.
Travellers should book their tickets in advance if they want to benefit, another travel agent in Muscat pointed out.
“At the peak time, the rates may reach sky high,” he added.
“I am planning to visit my home country during Onam this year, so I booked the tickets last week and was able to purchase tickets for below OMR130 for Kochi to Muscat,” Sandeep Kumar said.
“Otherwise, I have to pay more than OMR200 for my round trip, so the best thing is to book the ticket as early as possible,” he added.