Sunday 17 / November / 2024
Muscat: British Airways’ first direct flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Muscat touched down at the Muscat International Airport on Monday morning.
The direct flight will land at Heathrow’s terminal five, a dedicated British Airways terminal and one of the busiest in the world.
The UK carrier, which first began flying to Oman in 1972, inaugurated the new service with a water cannon salute as it landed at the Muscat International Airport.
Customers, who previously flew between the two cities via Abu Dhabi, can now experience an uninterrupted service, and reduced flying time of seven hours and 15 minutes, two and a half hours shorter than the previous nine hours and 45 minutes’ journey. The service is operated by the airline’s Boeing 777, five times a week, featuring four cabins of travel.
The welcome ceremony for the first British Airways direct flight to Muscat from Heathrow International Airport was attended by Mohammed bin Awadh Al Hassan, acting undersecretary for the Foreign Ministry for Diplomatic Affairs, Jonathan Wilks, British Ambassador in Oman, and Aiman bin Ahmed Al Hosni, chief executive officer at OAMC.
SriLankan Airlines
The Muscat International Airport also welcomed the first direct SriLankan Airlines from Colombo on Sunday night.
SriLankan Airlines, one of the oldest airline operations to serve the Omani capital, returned to Muscat after a year, as part of its enhanced focus on the Middle Eastern travel market. As part of this initiative, the airline will start with five flights a week from Colombo, except on Wednesday and Friday.
The addition of the two new direct flights to the Sultanate is a significant step towards OAMC’s strategic goal of placing Oman’s airports amongst the top 20 airports in the world by 2020.
The CEO of OAMC, Aiman bin Ahmed Al Hosni, confirmed that direct flights by British Airways will connect Muscat International Airport to Terminal 5 at London Heathrow, home to British Airways.
The United Kingdom, in addition to having a significant number of their nationals living in Oman, is also one of the most important inbound tourism markets for Oman. Additionally, the United Kingdom is attracting a large number of business people, investors, and young Omanis completing their studies in the UK, all of whom frequently travel between Muscat and London. The addition of direct flights to London will be of great benefit to travellers from both countries.
Anjulika Dutton, commercial manager, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Egypt and Central Asia, for British Airways, said, “British Airways has successfully served the Omani market for more than four decades. During this period, we have witnessed a strong growth in passengers travelling between these two regions, and anticipate that this new direct service will further enhance connectivity for business and leisure travellers between Oman and the UK.”
Special fares
Marking the launch of its direct service between the two capitals, British Airways is offering customers special fares until November 7, with travel valid until March 31, 2017 where the return fares to London will start from OMR195.20, including all taxes and charges.
Commenting on the passenger demand to fly direct, rather than via connecting flights, Aiman bin Ahmed Al-Hosni added, “The number of Sri Lankan residents in Oman has increased over the past few years. This has led to a steady growth in airline traffic between the Muscat International Airport and Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. Additionally, Sri Lanka is also becoming a prime destination for tourists from Oman and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Therefore, working with its executive partners and competent authorities, OAMC considered it a priority to attract SriLankan Airlines to operate their direct flights to and from Muscat International Airport. With the addition of these new direct flights, the passenger experience is enhanced and Oman as a unique tourist destination becomes even more attractive.”
The number of international airlines operating from the Muscat International Airport is now pegged at 33 carriers.
