Oman Air has recently published its annual report for 2016 that reflects the accomplishments achieved by the company, in addition to the outstanding efforts and the successful approach towards the development of all aspects of its operations in order to continue the company’s growth and successes.
Oman Air’s business operations have witnessed remarkable growth during 2016.
Reviewing the annual report on behalf of the Board of Directors of Oman Air during The Extraordinary General Meeting and the 35th Ordinary General meeting in Muscat, Darwish Bin Ismail Bin Ali Al Balushi, Chairman of Oman Air’s Board of Directors, highlighted some of the achievements of 2016, which are as follows:
Fleetexpanded to 47 aircraft.
Increase in the seat factor up to 20 percent
Increase in the number of passengers to 7.7 million, or 21 percent
Launch of Oman Air Flight Training Centre (OAFTC)
Freight operations increased to 159,618 tonnes
One million extra meals produced by Oman Air Catering Services
Fleet expansion
Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi said, “2016 was a year of both change and consolidation for Oman Air. Oman Air has continued its ambitious programme of expansion in 2016 with the introduction of four brand new Boeing 737-800s joining the Oman Air fleet.
The carrier has operated B737s for many years and the aircraft provide the backbone of the airline’s long and medium haul fleet. We have continued to upgrade our Airbus fleet. The first Airbus 330 to benefit from a comprehensive retrofit landed at Muscat International Airport from Paris in October 2016. This reflects our commitment to continue to invest in our award winning on board experience.”
He added that the previous A330 interiors attracted enormous international acclaim when they were first unveiled in 2009 and the new A330 interiors surpass those high standards and customers are already delighted with the results.With the addition of the new Boeing 737 – 800, Oman Air’s fleet stands at 47. Currently Oman Air’s fleet consists of four Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 23 Boeing 737-800, one Boeing 737-700 and four Embraer 175s. Three more Boeing 737 – 800s are scheduled to join the fleet and this year, Oman Air will be unveiling new B787-9 Dreamliners and revamping the existing Airbus fleet.
Significant operational results
“The results speak for themselves. The number of available seat kilometres grew to 24.8 billion, an increase of 20 percent. Oman Air’s capacity has increased significantly over the last year recording an increase in flight movements by more than 4000 flights to nearly 51,952 flights, an increase of 9 percent compared with 2015. The number of round trips Oman Air offered in 2016 rose to 30,978 trips from the previous year’s 28,270 trips.
As a result of the increased capacity, Oman Air experienced a huge 21 percent increase in passenger numbers with over 7.7 million passengers travelling with the airline in 2016, compared to 6.4 million passengers in 2015. While the fluctuating oil prices continue to affect the global economic outlook in general negatively, Oman Air’s revenues have increased during 2016 to OMR 472 million, an increase of 1 percent on 2015,” Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi said.
Priority to man-power development
“Oman Air is continuing with its broad human resources strategy of appreciating the skills, abilities, commitment and contributions of all staff, regardless of their backgrounds. The company has worked hard to increase the employment of Omani nationals and now over two thirds of the workforce originates from Oman.
2016 also saw a move to put Oman Air at the forefront of pilot and cabin crew training with the launch of the Oman Air Flight Training Centre (OAFTC) in October. It is a state-of-the-art facility that is the first of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman,” Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi added.
Other sectors, sustained growth
Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi noted that Oman Air continues to excel in other areas of the business. The amount of cargo that Oman Air handled in 2016 increased from 138,972 tonnes to approaching 159,618 tonnes.
Our Catering Services Division has won several new contracts including a three and a half year contract with British Airways. In the past year Oman Air Catering Services produced an extra one million meals than were originally budgeted for, increasing productivity without compromising on quality.
Extensive work continues to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of every area of the business. Oman Air’s engineering division is preparing to move to a much bigger facility, productivity can only increase.
