80% seat occupancy on Oman Air flights to India

Muscat: Over the past year in the Indian market, Oman Air has seen an average rate of 80 per cent in seat occupancy and has increased seat capacity by 30 per cent, the airline said.
In a statement to Times of Oman, the airline said that the dynamic travel industry and forward-thinking aviation sector in India which is currently valued at $16 billion has made it an important market for the airline.
Meanwhile, Oman Air’s chief executive officer was quoted as saying by the Indian media that the airline plans to operate 175 weekly flights by 2018 to India.
Currently, the airline operates 126 flights to different destinations in India.
“We operate 126 weekly flights from Muscat to 11 destinations in the Indian market, which totals to 21,147 seats. We enjoy a load factor of 80 per cent on our India routes, and therefore, by 2018 we plan to operate 175 weekly flights, and increase frequency to triple daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. Therefore, we are seeking to expand the current bilateral to 29,000 seats per week. Besides, we would like to operate double daily flights to the remaining destinations,” Paul Gregorowitsch, the Oman Air CEO, said.
Last year, the airline started operating flights to Goa, its 11th destination in India.
Bhanu Kalia, Country Manager-India, Oman Air said that 50 per cent of their business is generated through the travel trade in India, and therefore they have regular interactions with them.
“However, we are planning to diversify our channel to distribute the business,” he said.