Muscat-based carrier Oman Air has announced that it will be joining the Oneworld Alliance in 2024, becoming the third Middle Eastern carrier to join the alliance after Royal Jordanian and Qatar Airways.
This news comes just nine months after Oman Air first declared its intent to join the 23-year-old airline alliance. Fellow Gulf carrier Qatar Airways, which joined Oneworld in 2013, will act as Oman Air’s sponsor, providing the airline with much-needed guidance and support as it integrates into the alliance.
Oman Air’s admission into the Oneworld Alliance was announced yesterday (June 20th) at IATA’s 78th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) in Doha.
“Oman Air’s admittance into Oneworld represents a defining moment in our journey to provide passengers with greater travel options through our developing partnerships and alliances,” said Oman Air CEO Eng Abdulaziz Al Raisi. “We’re delighted to be joining the world’s foremost airline alliance at a time when demand for travel is on the rise. We look forward to welcoming Oneworld members onboard Oman Air to experience the height of Omani hospitality and all that the sultanate of Oman has to offer in terms of history, culture, and natural beauty.”
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, who currently serves as Oneworld’s Chairman, also expressed his excitement at the news.
He said: “Today marks a new milestone in Oneworld, as our friends at Oman Air become a member elect of our award-winning alliance. Passengers of Oman Air will be offered a seamless travel journey, connecting them to more than 900 destinations across 170 countries. As the Chairman of Oneworld, we look forward to welcoming Oman Air into our alliance as they will bring great benefits, allowing passengers to discover not just a new member with an excellent reputation, but a beautiful country.”
Oman Air’s entry into Oneworld will give its passengers access to a wide range of benefits that passengers flying with other Oneworld carriers already enjoy. Members of the carrier’s Sinbad frequent flyer program, for instance, can earn and redeem miles when flying with other Oneworld member airlines, with additional perks for top-tier members.
Meanwhile, members of frequent flyer programs of other Oneworld carriers can also earn and redeem miles when flying with Oman Air. Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members will gain access to Oman Air’s lounges at Muscat, Salalah, and Bangkok, and enjoy special perks like priority check-in and boarding.
The Oneworld Alliance, headquartered in New York City, is one of the three major airline alliances, along with Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Its members include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines, with Fiji Airways as a Oneworld Connect partner. Russian carrier S7 Airlines joined the alliance in 2010 but had its membership suspended in April of 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Oman Air, founded in 1993, is the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman. It currently flies to 50 destinations around the world, including Manila. The airline operates a fleet of 50 aircraft, consisting of four Airbus A330-200s, six Airbus A330-300s, 15 Boeing 737-800s, five Boeing 737-900ERs, eleven Boeing 737 MAX 8s, two Boeing 787-8s, and seven Boeing 787-9s.
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