Oman Air – the Middle Eastern country of Oman’s state owned airline – is seeking membership into the OneWorld airline alliance.
First reported on Reuters, Oman Air announced its intention to apply to join the OneWorld global alliance and said it had asked fellow Gulf carrier and member Qatar Airways to help it.
“As the industry recovers from COVID, airline alliances are going to be more important than ever,” Oman Air said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “This will provide us with excellent global connectivity, a seamless travel experience and more valuable loyalty offerings for our guests.”
With 14 member airlines, the OneWorld alliance was founded in 1998 and is based in New York City. While it is the smallest of the three major airline alliances, its list of member airlines include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways. In addition, the alliance also lists Fiji Airways as a OneWorld connect member.
At present, the current chairman of the OneWorld alliance is Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker. Al Baker was named the chairman of the airline alliance in May.
While not confirming any talks for prospective members to join the alliance, OneWorld spokesperson was quoted on Reuters saying: “As airlines recover from COVID-19, alliances will become more important by providing global connectivity, as airlines reshape their networks, many with reduced fleets when compared to their pre-COVID size.”
Founded in 1993, Oman Air is the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman. From its hub at Muscat, it operates a fleet of around 50 jets to over 30 destinations around the world.
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