Oman Air @ 30 in Mumbai: India focus sharpens with forward bookings, more routes in pipeline
Representative Image from the event in Mumbai
Since its inaugural flight to Mumbai in 1993, the airline has steadily expanded its footprint across India, now operating in 10 cities and linking Indian travellers to key destinations across the Gulf, Europe, and beyond. We explore more in conversation with Sunil V A, Regional Vice President – ISC, Commercial Sales at Oman Air.
As Oman Air celebrates three decades of operations in Mumbai, it is not just marking a milestone but reaffirming its long-standing commitment to one of its most dynamic markets. Since its inaugural flight to Mumbai in 1993, the airline has steadily expanded its footprint across India, now operating in 10 cities and linking Indian travellers to key destinations across the Gulf, Europe, and beyond.
“The traffic between the two countries has grown across multiple segments and our network which serves most of the key potential routes in the GCC and the high demand routes in Europe. The recent entry to the oneworld alliance has grown our reach further to more than 900 destinations,” said Sunil V A, Regional Vice President – ISC, Commercial Sales at Oman Air. Notably, Oman Air officially joined the oneworld alliance as its 15th member airline in June this year. This strategic move further enhances Oman Air’s connectivity and appeal in a market that increasingly values seamless international travel.
Globally, Oman Air continues to expand its footprint with a new non-stop Muscat–Amsterdam service launched in July 2025, and doubling its Muscat-London frequency starting October. Overall, the airline now connects 42 destinations across 22 countries, with hundreds more accessible through its oneworld alliance membership.
Speaking numbers from India, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information, the Sultanate of Oman welcomed 88,647 Indian nationals in January this year. Of these, 44,652 were visitors, making Indians the second-largest group of international travellers to Oman after Emiratis, who numbered 82,600.
Looking ahead, Oman Air is focused on strengthening its network from India by consolidating high-yield traffic segments and building Oman as a preferred destination for leisure, MICE, and weddings. “The Ministry of Heritage & Tourism, Sultanate of Oman is also looking at India as a market which has huge potential and has contributed in a big way for tourism to the country. Oman Air will pursue to add more routes to India as and when there is any increase in the points of call which has been currently approved in the Air services agreement between both the countries,” shared V A.
In the face of evolving passenger expectations, recent aircraft incidents, and geopolitical tensions, Oman Air has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the Indian market. When asked, V A shared that while safety concerns temporarily affected travel decisions, the fundamental need for mobility has prevailed, with travellers simply redirecting to less sensitive destinations. Oman Air, he said, successfully weathered these challenges by strategically shifting focus to alternative network routes, resulting in strong recovery and promising forward bookings through 2025 and into 2026. “India market which has evolved well over the years has advance travel planning by the guests and pre-season launch of tour packages by most of the leading tour operators, and we see good interest for the winter season of 2025 with plans already commencing for Summer 2026.”
V A also acknowledged the challenges of an intensely competitive aviation landscape. “Over the years Oman Air has been able to spread it business across the multiple segments across India from the initial days and the award-winning product which has evolved over the years, coupled with the state-of-the-art Muscat International Airport have given us the impetus time and again to grow in this dynamic market.” He added that the competition is bound to increase in any potential and growing market, yet Oman Air is stepping up to meet the expectations of its customers and trade partners to continue the airline’s success story in India.
The airline’s spokesperson was speaking to T3 on the sidelines of an event commemorating 30 years of Oman Air’s operations in Mumbai. The milestone gathering was also attended by Mahboob Issa Juma Al Raisi, Consul General of the Sultanate of Oman in Mumbai; Sid Sharma, President & CEO of InterGlobe Air Transport; and Ahmed Mahrouqi, Vice President of Sales at Oman Air.
