Air Arabia Adds Second Oman Link

United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier Air Arabia is to introduce flights to a second destination in Oman from this month with the inauguration of services to Salalah from its Sharjah International Airport hub. The budget carrier will offer a twice weekly link from June 28, 2012 expanding its network to 75 destinations across the Middle East, North Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

“Salalah is a popular tourist destination of Oman and we target through our new twice weekly service to develop the tourism traffic between Salalah, the UAE and the wider region” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “Oman has rapidly established itself as a major tourist destination worldwide and introducing this attractive service is just in-time for our customer to benefit from while planning their summer get-a ways.”

Air Arabia made its debut in the Omani market in October 2003 when it launched flights to the Sultanate’s capital Muscat from Sharjah. It increased to a daily service on this route in April 2005 and to a twice daily frequency from April 2010. In 2011, an estimated 899,000 O&D passengers travelled between UAE and Oman with Air Arabia holding an eight per cent share of this traffic. An estimated 75,000 O&D passengers flew between Sharjah and Muscat.

The city of Salalah is a popular destination for tourists due to its natural attractions and its seasonal weather, locally known as ‘Khareef’. Salalah includes a distinctive natural diversity where the coast blends with the mountains and the desert. The new Air Arabia flight will commence ahead of the Salalah Tourism Festival, which takes place from July 15 to August 31every year, and which brings visitors to the destination from all over the world. The beautiful beaches and coastline are also major attractions for scuba diving and bird watching.

The table below highlights how the market between Oman and UAE has grown over the past five years. The growth of capacity from low-cost operators such as Air Arabia and its local rival flydubai is partly the reason for the decline in average air fares over the past couple of years.