Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, has been ranked among the top 10 of the world’s best airlines for flying Economy Class by Business Insider, a US-based global business news website.

Oman Air achieved ninth place in the list, beating many of the best-known giants of the aviation industry, in areas such as its passenger experience.

Acting chief executive officer of Oman Air, Salim Al Kindy, said: “We are proud and delighted that Business Insider has recognised the outstanding quality offered by Oman Air and has listed us as one of the ten best airlines in the world.”

“Oman Air’s long haul Economy Class experience offers extremely high levels of space and comfort, outstanding service and superb inflight technology, including mobile phone and Wi-Fi connectivity, large personal entertainment screens, live satellite TV and all the latest movies and music. When this is combined with the traditional Omani hospitality that is Oman Air’s trademark, we are confident that our passengers can enjoy the very best that 21st Century air travel has to offer.”

The Business Insider World’s Best Airlines list was compiled using the criteria of the quality of the passenger experience and the airline’s punctuality. The passenger experience was assessed using data supplied by Skytrax, the independent airline quality experts, and covering seat comfort, in-flight entertainment, cabin cleanliness and condition, quality of meals served, service efficiency, and cabin safety standards.

Data on airline punctuality covered the period from April 1 to May 31 and was supplied by Flightstats.com. The punctuality figures included the performance of codeshare partners and was given a weighting of 30 per cent in the final results, whilst the passenger experience was given a 70 per cent weighting to reflect customers’ priorities when choosing an airline.

Oman Air’s Economy Class seats aboard its long haul Airbus A330 fleet offer a 34-inch pitch, adjustable head and leg rests and a 10.4-inch seatback inflight entertainment screen. In addition to the entertainment options offered by the onboard system, passengers are able personalise their experience by plugging in their own devices and watching their own movies, listening to their own music, or using the inflight connectivity service to update their social media, check emails or browse the web.

The Business Insider accolade comes just one month after Oman Air was named ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline Economy Class and ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline Best Business Class Airline’ at the World Travel Awards 2014. – TradeArabia News Service