Oman Air

History

Oman Air's roots trace to 1970 and Oman International Services, a ground-handling company, but the airline in its modern scheduled form was founded in 1993 and operated its inaugural flight that March from Muscat to Salalah using a leased Boeing 737-300. Early growth included taking over Gulf Air's light-aircraft division in 1977 and reorganizing as a joint-stock company (Oman Aviation Services) in 1981, before the carrier exited its long-standing partnership in Gulf Air in 2007 and launched its first long-haul routes to Bangkok and London that same year. The Omani government, through the Oman Investment Authority, has held a controlling stake (around 99.8% by 2010) throughout the airline's history, positioning it as Oman's national flag carrier. After years pursuing international expansion, the airline undertook a major strategic restructuring beginning in 2023 to address financial sustainability, which included retiring its entire Airbus A330 widebody fleet in 2024 and standardizing on an all-Boeing fleet. That restructuring culminated in Oman Air formally joining the oneworld alliance on 30 June 2025, becoming the alliance's 15th member airline.

Current Operations

Oman Air operates an all-Boeing fleet of roughly 30 aircraft, including 737-800s, 737-900ERs, 737 MAX 8 narrowbodies and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for long-haul routes, with additional 787-9s on order. The airline serves around 44 destinations in roughly 24 countries from its hub at Muscat International Airport (MCT), with India representing its single largest market by number of destinations served. Since joining oneworld in June 2025, Oman Air has gained access to the alliance's global codeshare, lounge and frequent-flyer reciprocity network, materially expanding its international connectivity beyond its own route map. The carrier remains wholly owned by the Omani state through the Oman Investment Authority and continues a multi-year financial restructuring and network optimization program launched in 2023. Its long-haul Dreamliner fleet anchors routes to Europe and Asia, complementing a regional Gulf and Indian subcontinent network flown with narrowbody jets.

Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

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