The airline Oman Air from Muscat first announced in 2021 that it wanted to join the Oneworld alliance. Later, it was said that joining the alliance around British Airways, Qatar Airways and Co. would take place in 2024. In February, this was further specified and the plan was to join Oneworld in the second half of the year.
Since then – except for a partnership with Alaska Airlines – there has been no news. Apparently for good reason. During a press conference, CEO Con Korfiatis announced that the announced schedule could not be met. Accordingly, the Oneworld membership will not be completed until 2025. According to The Points Guy, the second quarter (i.e. April to June 2025) is being targeted.
By the time Oman Air finally becomes part of the Oneworld alliance, more than three years will have passed since the first announcement. This is comparatively long. Scandinavian Airlines let less than 12 months pass between the announcement of the alliance change and joining SkyTeam.
Oman Air Trying to Cut Costs
Oman Air once had ambitious growth plans, but recently scaled them back significantly. Surprisingly, all ten Airbus A330s were retired this year. This means that Oman Air now only has a fleet of 35 aircraft.
Due to the elimination of the A330, even longer routes sometimes only use Boeing 737max planes without lie-flat seats. This is the case, e.g. on the Munich – Muscat route. An almost 7-hour night flight in a recliner seat doesn’t quite fit the self-image of a luxury airline. In view of the austerity course, some are now wondering how high the interest in joining the alliance actually is.
Sources: Tim Robinson (AeroSpace Magazin) on Twitter, One Mile at a Time and The Points Guy
Cover Picture: © Oman Air