Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has been ‘Commended’ in the ‘Airline of the Year’ category at one of the UK travel industry’s most prestigious awards.

The TTG Travel Awards are run by the industry’s leading trade newspaper, Travel Trade Gazette, and are held at London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel.

Oman Air’s Commendation, the second prize in the category, follows 18 months in which the airline has introduced new airbus A330 aircraft to its fleet, each with spacious and luxurious interiors and state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment. It has also been the first airline in the world to offer passengers full mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity simultaneously onboard its widebody aircraft.

Oman Air’s has also introduced new Embraer E175 regional jets and has expanded its network to more than 40 exciting destinations and, earlier this year, also opened superb new Business Class and First Class lounges at Muscat International. Furthermore, online booking, e-ticketing and web check-in facilities are complemented by door-to-door First Class and Business Class limousine services, and a lounge-to-aircraft limousine service at Muscat and a brand new partnership with No1 Traveller which enables business class passengers free access to the new Heathrow lounge with its superb facilities.

The TTG Travel Awards are judged in two stages. Each registered company is rated by the very agents that use their companies and products. The results of these ratings are used to create shortlists for each award from the entries that meet the minimum judging requirements.

Each category is then assigned a panel of four to five people to assess the shortlisted finalists. Chaired by a TTG journalist who does not have a carrying vote, each panel debates and discusses each entrant against the rigorous criteria set for that category. At the end of the judging, the panel picks the winner. For the award, ten categories were evaluated: cabin appearance, onboard meals, cleanliness of the toilets, beverage service, seating comfort, service onboard, ground service, cost-performance ratio, punctuality and facilities for kids.

Oman Air’s CEO, Peter Hill, said:

“We are delighted to have been Commended in this most prestigious award. All the team at Oman Air has worked hard to ensure that Oman Air is synonymous with comfort, luxury and the very best that air travel has to offer. Thank you to all those who have supported and voted for Oman Air.”

Earlier this month, Oman Air was delighted to win Best In-flight Connectivity and Communications prize at the Passenger Choice Awards.