Oman Air mulls Asia growth

dubai — Oman Air is considering adding more flights to Asia, including to China and South Korea, but is delaying its break-even date to beyond this year, its new chief executive said on Sunday.

The state-owned airline, which no longer relies on government funding, had earlier delayed its break-even date from 2017 to this year.

It could now potentially break even in the next 2 to 3 years, chief executive Abdulaziz Al Raisi told Reuters in Dubai. He later said it was difficult to set a date because stemming losses would partly depend on external factors.

Al Raisi said he was concerned about escalating conflict after a warning this month for airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean ahead of air strikes by the United States, Britain and France on Syria.

Al Raisi, a 33-year Oman Air veteran, was appointed as CEO earlier on Sunday having held the position in an acting capacity since October.

He said the airline would focus on carrying more passengers to and from Oman.

“We are not trying to compete with the 3 big ones,” Al Raisi said, referring to Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

Oman Air could fly to more destinations in Asia from as soon as 2019 after starting flights to Istanbul, Casablanca, Moscow and the Maldives this year, Al Raisi said at the ATM.