Oman Air has been named as the top on-time performer at London Heathrow Airport.
Figures just released by BAA show that Oman Air achieved the number one rank with 100% punctuality for departures in February 2011, and the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman has been consistently listed amongst top five airlines for on-time performance (OTP) at Heathrow.
Welcoming the news, Don Hunter, Oman Air's Chief Officer, Airport Operations, said:
"This is an amazing result and we are delighted with the achievement. London Heathrow is a challenging environment in which to operate and being ranked first for on-time performance is testament to the outstanding dedication of our staff and GHA (Plane Handling). I would like to congratulate them all on their success."
Krishan Perrera, Regional Airport Services Manager (Europe) for Oman Air, added:
"To be ranked in first place at London Heathrow and to consistently achieve a top five ranking for OTP, especially in the face of the airport's renowned infrastructure and congestion issues, is extremely satisfying. Despite Oman Air's high load factors and Heathrow being one of the busiest airports in the world, our staff and ground handling agents have attained the highest standards. Our thanks go to each member of the team and we look forward to maintaining our place at the top of the table."
Oman Air launched services to Heathrow in January 2009, having previously operated to London Gatwick. The airline now operates daily, non-stop direct flights from Muscat, Oman, to Heathrow Terminal Three, with onward connections to destinations throughout the Middle East, East Africa and South and South East Asia. A codeshare agreement with bmi enables customers to book with Oman Air to fly via Heathrow to Muscat and beyond from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Manchester and Belfast.
Oman Air's on-time performance figures are the latest in a string of achievements which have seen the airline introduce a brand new fleet of Airbus A330s, luxurious and spacious First Class, Business Class and Economy Class cabins, state-of-the-art inflight entertainment with live satellite TV, and the world's first simultaneous inflight mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity service. In addition, Embraer E175 aircraft have been introduced to the airline's short haul routes and Oman Air's network has increased to include 40 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, North and East Africa and South and South East Asia. The airline's emergence as an international luxury carrier has seen it win, and be nominated for, a range of awards and Skytrax has recently named Oman Air as an Official 4 Star Airline, with its A330 Business Class seat recognized as one of the best three in the world.
Don Hunter concludes:
"Oman Air is recognised internationally as an outstanding airline and the quality of our onboard product is mirrored by the excellence of our services on the ground. Customers can be confident that Oman Air's reliability and hospitality will ensure a seamless, convenient and thoroughly enjoyable passenger experience."
