Monday 23 / December / 2024
Muscat: With a fragrance of frankincense and the mist of the Khareef, Salalah Airport welcomed on Tuesday morning the first direct flight of Etihad Airways, which will operate four flights a week between Abu Dhabi and the city of Salalah during Khareef tourist season in Dhofar.
Yesterday, Oman’s first budget airline SalamAir launched its first flight from Kuwait to Salalah.
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“Our first flight from Kuwait to Salalah in the presence of Salim bin Awad Al Yafei, deputy CEO of Salalah Airport and other executives from OMAC, Ministry of Tourism, Dhofar Municipality and SalamAir,” it said on Tuesday.
In addition, Gulf Air launched flights from Manama, the capital of Bahrain, to Salalah. These flights will operate from 15 June to 14 September.
The inaugural flight of Etihad Airways to Salalah was greeted by presenting the passengers with gifts in Salalah Airport.
Salem Al Yafie, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Salalah Airport, as well as a number of officials from other Oman airports greeted the flight. AL Yafie welcomed the inauguration of Etihad Airways flights and added that “They will boost the tourist season activity in Dhofar, a famous summer destination thanks to its unique weather, during Khareef, which is one of the most important seasons for tourist groups coming mainly from Gulf countries.”
Al Yafie pointed out: “The arrival of these direct flights bolstered, on the one hand, the tourism sector in Dhofar, and on the other, proved the increasing demand of these airlines on the importance of Salalah as a tourist attraction, in addition to the services Salalah Airport provides for airlines and passengers.”
He added: “This year, we expect that the tourist season in Dhofar will see an increase of inbound flights and tourists”.
The airline will operate its A320 aircraft on four flights on a weekly basis to Salalah from July 2 to August 31. Flights from Abu Dhabi will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:05 AM and arrive at 10:00 AM, allowing guests to make an early start to their holiday in Khareef.
Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Salalah is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the Sultanate of Oman. Khareef is characterized by the dense green mat spread between mountains and coasts in addition to the flow of waterfalls and stretch of valleys transforming the city into a green paradise. Our seasonal journey will allow our guests to arrive, within two hours after take-off from Abu Dhabi, at an exceptional destination during the best times of the year for a short or long holiday.”
The airline will be operating 25 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and the Sultanate of Oman after adding the seasonal flights, including 21 trips to Muscat and four trips to Salalah.
Salalah Airport received the 2019 Skytrax Award for achieving a 5-star rating in the regional airports’ category, making it the first regional airport in the Middle East to do so, and the world’s fourth highest-ranking airport in this category. The award was received earlier this year at Skytrax Awards ceremony in London.
In its first participation in the Airports Council International (ACI) passenger satisfaction survey, Salalah Airport scored the 8th globally among 71 airports in the category of 2 million travellers.
