SalamAir is looking to connect the southern Omani city of Salalah with direct flights to Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, plus its current flights to Sohar.

The move is subject to discussion with local authorities and stakeholders and follows the recent opening of its first sales office in Salalah.

The airline currently flies 21 direct flights to Salalah from Muscat a week, as well as connects Muscat International Airport to 14 regional destinations.

Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said: “Salalah has the potential of being our hub and will enable us to take major strides to further expand our operations and network. We also want to achieve greater air connectivity for Oman, which is key to unlocking the sultanate’s economic diversification strategy and growth potential, as well as spur key sectors like tourism, aviation and logistics in the process. Our decision will depend on the facilities that will be provided to make Salalah a hub.”

He added: “Oman boasts a world-class aviation infrastructure led by the recently opened Muscat International Airport, as well as the Salalah Airport. This is a very important proposition for the entire country to attract investment and ensure that enough capacity is created to accommodate demand. Overall, this move will foster air transport growth. It will also offer the end user increased connectivity and reduced travel time, while providing businesses with access to a wider and more competitive marketplace.”

“Direct international flights from Salalah will create additional demand and reflect positively on the local economy. In the future, we will consider flying direct to India from Salalah if we get the traffic rights,” Captain Ahmed said.

Today, the SalamAir network consists of 14 destinations including Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Karachi, Multan, Sialkot, Shiraz, Kathmandu, Khartoum, Dhaka, and Alexandria. - TradeArabia News Service