Muscat: Oman Air, the Sultanate’s national carrier, announced that it has expanded its code-share cooperation with Qatar Airways.

The move comes as a means to boost connectivity and provide more flexible travel options for both airline’s customers. 

The expanded code-share agreement is the first step in further strengthening strategic cooperation between the two airlines that first began in 2000.

Sales of the additional destinations will commence in 2021.

Oman Air Chief Executive Officer Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, said: “We are delighted to expand our commercial cooperation with Qatar Airways, which will streamline flying for leisure travellers from around the world to enjoy Oman’s culture, scenic beauty and hospitality, and facilitate travel for those who visit the Sultanate of Oman for abundant, fast-growing business opportunities across a diverse range of sectors.

“The expansion of our code-share agreement is just the first step, and we look forward to working with Qatar Airways to further strengthen our strategic partnership to enhance the business and leisure travel experience for our customers in Oman and throughout the world,” he added.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are pleased to further expand our code-share cooperation with Oman Air, one of the leading airlines in the Gulf region.

“Now more than ever, it is important to strengthen strategic partnerships across the industry to optimise our operations and provide seamless connectivity to hundreds of destinations across the globe for our passengers.

“Since 2000, both airlines have seen the benefits that commercial cooperation has brought, providing our passengers with unrivalled service and more flexibility to travel when they want. I look forward to further strengthening our commercial cooperation with Oman Air to provide even more benefits to our customers.”

The code-share expansion will significantly increase the number of destinations available to Oman Air guests to 65 additional points on the Qatar Airways’ network across Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, India, and the Middle East.

Qatar Airways’ passengers will also benefit from additional connectivity, with the ability to book travel on six new destinations across Africa and Asia in Oman Air’s network. Both airlines will also explore a number of joint commercial and operational initiatives to further optimise their partnership.

The code-share flights for the additional destinations will be displayed in the reservation systems once all the necessary approvals are obtained from the concerned Civil Aviation Authorities.