Saturday 11 / May / 2024
Muscat: Football fans from Oman who intend on travelling to Qatar to watch the upcoming FIFA World Cup now have far more options to travel between the two countries, thanks to a new agreement signed to boost connectivity.
As part of the agreement, 21 daily flights will operate between Muscat and Doha for supporters of the teams playing at the World Cup.
The agreement was signed between Oman Air, the flag carrier of the Sultanate, and Qatar Airways. The agreement was signed in the presence of Azzan Qasim Al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Tourism at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Najeeb Yahya Al Balushi, Oman’s ambassador to Qatar, Abdulaziz Saud Al Raisi, CEO of Oman Air, and Haitham Mohammed Al Ghassani, Director-General of Tourism Promotion.
The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is set to head the steering committee of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, under the chairmanship of Al Busaidi, along with members from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Royal Oman Police, Oman Air, Omran Group and Oman Airports Company.
Al Busaidi said: “The agreement reflects the strong bonds between the two countries and the Sultanate of Oman’s keenness to contribute to the success of the World Cup, which, being held for the first time in an Arab country, offers a great opportunity to promote Oman’s tourism destinations.
Al Raisi said: “The two sides agreed to treat the 21 World Cup flights as local flights rather than external flights. Tickets for flights between the two countries during the World Cup will be shared by the two airline companies. Oman will be given leverage as a tourism destination, which involves a set of tourism packages at competitive prices for the World Cup public wishing to visit Oman.”
“In fact, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 constitutes a golden opportunity for the whole GCC region in general, and the Sultanate of Oman, in particular,” Al Raisi added.
