The sultanate's national carrier Oman Air in partnership with Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines launched its second full freighter flight from Chennai to Muscat today (August 11).

The addition is the cooperation’s latest step in expanding its air freight services from Oman to India, said a statement.

The cooperation was established to enable Oman Air and Cargolux to jointly access new freighter destinations and contribute to the development of Oman’s logistics hub, it added.

It will enable Cargolux to utilise Oman Air’s experience of flying to a range of global destinations, including 11 destinations in India, it said.

Additionally, it allows Oman Air to further expand its cargo operation and build on the range of initiatives the airline has introduced over recent years, added the statement.

It is expected that the partnership will build on the success of the newly-launched services by expanding its air freight services from Oman to destinations in China, Europe, Africa and US, it said.

Mafoodh Al Harthy, chief office sales at Oman Air, said: “The new service will enable us to strengthen our presence within the Indian market by accessing the industrial belts of South India.”
 
“Vitally, however, they will also give an important boost to the development of the sultanate of Oman as a global cargo hub. Our new services will generate increased cargo traffic that will not only attract important revenue streams, but will also demonstrate to the global market the outstanding, modern cargo infrastructure that Oman offers,” he said.

“We look forward to seeing our new services to Chennai rapidly become a cornerstone for the transportation of cargo between India, the Middle East and Europe,” he added.

Niek van der Weide, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Cargolux Airlines, said: “The importance and value of the cooperation and partnership with Oman Air which has made the reintroduction of cargo services to India possible.”
 
“India will be a very important market for Cargolux in the future, and we look to further expand our services with the addition of Mumbai as a second destination.” – TradeArabia News Service