The airline based in Muscat (Oman), which had expressed its desire to join OneWorld a few months ago, has been granted its request. It will join the alliance in 2024.
Oman Air
If the Omani airline lives in the shadow of the “Gulf Sisters” such as Emirates, Qatar Airways or Etihad, it is no less ambitious and continues to make progress with a more limited fleet, but a very high quality service.
It is a young airline (founded in 1993) but it has been able to grow in a sustainable way and to abandon its status of successful regional carrier to begin long haul operations with an excellent quality product. For many it is, after Qatar Airways, the second best airline in the Gulf in terms of overall product quality.
In addition, it has a brand new terminal in its Muscat hub since 2018.
A growth driver?
Joining an alliance is often an excellent growth driver for an airline with a limited fleet. Will this be the case for Oman Air? Nothing is less certain in the current state of affairs.
Today, the main members of OneWorld do not serve Oman, a route they entrusted to Qatar Airways via Doha. So no additional passengers are expected for the moment at the Muscat hub. On the other hand, passengers in transit in Muscat and bound for Europe, for example, will be able to benefit from the medium-haul network of partners, notably British Airways, as neither Iberia nor Oman Air operate between Oman and Spain.
But there is no doubt that the new arrival of Oman Air in OneWorld will stimulate the opening of new routes for both sides to take advantage of the new opportunities thus offered.
A good move for OneWorld
OneWorld is the major beneficiary of the deal. The Gulf hubs are known to be strategic, halfway between Europe and Asia for passengers traveling between the two continents, and Oman has a real potential as a tourist destination.
With Emirates holding on to its independence and Saudia being with Skyteam, the only possible partnership for the major alliances was Oman Air. And it was OneWorld that won the bid.
We are not convinced that Saudia is a major contributor to Skyteam and, therefore, with Qatar Airways and Oman Air it is OneWorld that makes the right move in the region.
One may be surprised by the absence of Star Alliance, but the latter seems to have definitively bet on Turkish Airlines and its Istanbul hub from where it serves more countries than any other airline in the world.
Should tensions be expected, on the other hand, with Qatar Airways, which is losing a form of leadership in the region within the alliance? Not at all. The two airlines have neither the same size, nor the same ambition nor the same “soft power”. Oman Air will not be overshadowing its neighbor any time soon and it is to her that she had asked to accompany her in her application. Qatar Airways can rest easy, Oman Air is reassured by joining a major alliance, everyone is happy.
Bottom line
Oman Air is joining OneWorld and will eventually reinforce OneWorld’s leadership over other alliances in the region. If the size of the Omani airline will limit the industrial impact of the operation, at least in the near future, it has found a choice partner to lean on to continue its growth.
Photo : Oman Air Planesfrom LIAL Via Shutterstock
