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Oman Air struggles to find aircraft to lease

Saturday 03/06/2017 - Source: Gulf News


The Omani government's formal withdrawal from Gulf Air is forcing officials at carrier Oman Air to embark on a global search for aircraft to lease.

With Bahrain now the sole owner of Gulf Air, the airline will focus on its home territory.

Oman Air has been left to meet the traffic demand, but its aircraft orders will not meet until 2009, forcing it to start a search for aircraft on short-term leases.

"The move is definitely good for Oman Air because we will become stronger as the national carrier and will have full government support," said Yasser Al Lazki, UAE country manager at Oman Air.

"The big problem we are facing now is the shortage of aircraft. The first available aircraft we have been offered is 2009. In the meantime we are trying to lease aircraft," he said.

Al Lazki said Oman Air is negotiating with companies which own Airbus aircraft and the mid-sized Boeing 767.

However, he would not reveal the number of aircraft required, nor the company's existing order count, claiming that Oman Air officials are holding talks with the Omani government to hammer out a business plan.

"Everything still has to be clarified," he said.

Oman Air flies to destinations throughout the Gulf, the Middle East, India and Bangladesh and is planning to start flights to Damascus, Colombo and Khartoum, as well as increasing frequencies on its existing routes, said Al Lazki.

Gulf Air was initially owned by Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Qatar withdrew in 2012 to set up its own airline, followed by Abu Dhabi in December 2015.

Oman's withdrawal from Gulf Air was stated last month in an official letter delivered by its Economy Minister Ahmad Bin Abdul Nabi Makki to Bahrain's finance minister Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa at a meeting in Manama.

According to analysts, transfer of the Omani shares and assets should last a maximum of six months.

Bahrain's sole management of the company has already begun.

Al Lazki said the airline's capacity grew by two per cent - in line with an identical growth in traffic. The average seat factor across Oman Air was 76 per cent in 2016.


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