Date: 25 Aug 2013

Carrier Provides an Additional 88,536 Seats During the Khareef

To meet the demand due to the increasing volume of passengers flying to Salalah, Oman Air has added extra flights between Salalah-Muscat-Salalah. Demand to Salalah during the Khareef season, which started since June is unprecedented due to the clement weather, and the ongoing Salalah Tourism Festival is an added attraction for the visitors to the Governorate of Dhofar.

Confirming the significance of this route, Oman Air has added frequencies to the Muscat – Salalah – Muscat route. The airline operated up to 9 to 11 daily flights in this sector, since 1st June till 19th August, and up to 11 to 13 daily flights from 20th August till 15th September. Focussing on the importance of the Governorate of Dhofar and in line with the National Carrier’s dedicated efforts to promote tourism within the Sultanate, an additional 306 flights were introduced in this sector during the months of June, July, August and September, taking the total number of flights during this period to 1054.

The Salalah Tourism Festival opened on August 10th and will run until September 6th. The festival is a celebration of the history, culture, traditions and landscapes of the Governorate of Dhofar, of which Salalah is an important city. Oman Air strives to promote tourism in the Sultanate, especially so during the Khareef season and also during the Salalah Tourism Festival, which makes Dhofar region one of the most sought after tourist destination. Thousands of visitors come to this region to experience the unique attractions of the area.

Ahmed Alamri, Country Manager – Oman, Oman Air said: “As the national carrier of Sultanate of Oman and Official Carrier of Salalah Tourism Festival, we are providing extra flights to Salalah to cope with the increased demand largely for Omani families as well as visitors from GCC countries and beyond. We are sure that with these additions, more discerning passengers can take a well-deserved break in Salalah which is proving to be a refreshing respite, especially for people from the Middle East. We are happy that the number of visitors to Salalah is increasing from different Oman Air stations, due to increased flights, which give the passengers more choice and attracts more visitors to this verdant city.”

It has always been a practice with Oman Air to provide additional flights to Salalah during the Khareef season and the Salalah Tourism Festival. Oman Air increased flights between the two cities from 210 to 291 flights in June, 217 to 274 flights in July, 216 to 328 flights in August and 105 to 161 flights in September, resulting in a total of 88, 536 additional seats being offered during these months.