Oman Air strives to improve its world ranking

Muscat: Oman Air is striving to become one of the world’s best small airlines, despite a recent dip in global rankings.
Dropping from the 35th spot in 2015, Oman Air said it has plans to raise its rank in the coming years with better offers, by enhancing customer comfort and introducing new destinations to increase its customer satisfaction rating.
At the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2016, Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, was ranked 42nd among the top 100 airlines in the world.
The world airline awards surveyed 19.2 million passengers online in a range of topics under three main categories: airport/ground, onboard: products and onboard: staff service.
“There are more than 5,000 airlines with the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) codes operating around the world. Being placed in the top 50 by the World Airline Awards is therefore a major achievement,” said Usama Al Haremi, senior corporate communications and media manager.
“Specific rankings are affected by a range of factors, including the launch of a new onboard product. Over the last 12 months, many of the high profile global carriers have unveiled new seating and cabin designs. It is unsurprising; therefore, that such a product has caught the attention of air travellers surveyed by the World Travel Awards,” he added.
Operates 70 aircraft
With plans underway to operate 70 aircraft of Airbus A330s, Boeing 787 Dreamliners and B737s, the national carrier is certain it will raise the rank.
“With just three aircraft types in operation by 2020, backed by intensive staff training, our fleet will offer a level of consistency in the passenger experience, which is likely to impress those whose views inform future rankings,” said Al Haremi.
“We are also currently rolling out new aircraft interiors, which we are confident, will impress and delight our customers,” he added.
Rare occurrences
When asked whether the recent tyre bursts Oman Air had reported over the past couple of months could affect future rankings, Al Haremi stated, “Tyre bursts are very rare occurrences and the fact that we have had two in the last two months is nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence.”
“Please note that over 6.3 million passengers enjoyed seamless travel with Oman Air in 2015, and more than 28,000 round trips were recorded without any major accidents,” stressed Al Haremi.