Conference & Meetings World Supplements Oman Supplement | Page 6

Oman

Flying to Oman

Oman’ s national carrier, Oman Air, has increased the number of daily fl ights.

Oman Air, Oman’ s national airline, recently increased its fl eet size to 50 aircraft, and with it implemented a more generous baggage policy. First Class has also seen an upgrade. From the UK, a daily direct fl ight operates from London Heathrow Terminal 4 to Muscat. The fl ight is scheduled at 8.25am and takes 7.5hrs, normally arriving in Oman at 7.40pm local time.

Beginning on 1 May 2017, Oman Air will commence direct fl ights to and from Manchester Airport, with fl ights expected to take 8.5hrs.
A new airport in Muscat is planned to open by the end of 2017. Being built in stages, it will have the initial capacity to handle 12m passengers, followed by 18m later in 2018. The fi nal stage will see the airport able to handle 48m passengers a year. As of October 2016, British Airways began to operate direct fl ights between London Heathrow and Muscat. Whereas previously passengers would need to stop in Abu Dhabi, now they can enjoy an uninterrupted 8-hour fl ight on one of
BA’ s modern Boeing 777s.
United Arab Emirates carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates also operate fl ights from the UK, with a stop over required in Abu Dhabi( Etihad) or Dubai( Emirates).
Taxis are in plentiful supply and are cheap compared to Europe.
Private transfers are available to and from the airport and most major hire car companies operate in the country.
Travellers are issued with a visa on arrival at the airport, valid for 10 days for a cost of OMR5($ 12.99).
6 CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD