Muscat National Development and Investment Company, Asaas, has been awarded a new air services operator license by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation to establish Oman’s first low-cost carrier.

This venture is anticipated to fuel economic growth underpinned by strong air traffic demand which is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2019.

Eng Khalid bin Hilal Al Yahmadi, CEO of ASAAS, said: “At Asaas our aim is to become one of the main development and investment arms for the government and pension funds in the country. To that end, we have identified a portfolio of potential development projects for the next five to 10 years across various industries. One of the core sectors is tourism and we are adopting an integrated approach that covers its entire supply chain of which transportation plays an instrumental role as an enabler for the development of the economy in general and tourism in particular.”

He added: “The national budget airline will provide access to economical and efficient means of transport and further advance the aviation sector in Oman. It will naturally complement our diverse projects that will soon come on stream, including our real estate and entertainment projects to maximize impact and generate sustainable returns. The constant growth of the aviation sector in the region is what drove us to explore the sector and create value for Oman.” – TradeArabia News Service