Oman Air has become the latest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after it placed the first of six aircraft it has on order into commercial passenger service on October 11, 2015. The airline is initially using the aircraft on its domestic route between Muscat and Salalah for crew familiarisation before introducing it on longer-range scheduled missions to Europe from the start of the winter schedule.
The Gulf carrier received its first aircraft from the US manufacturer on October 7, 2015 and the aircraft entered service in the early hours of October 11, 2015 on the WY901 rotation between Muscat and Salalah. It operated three return flights on the route that day and is scheduled to repeat that schedule today (October 12, 2015) and through to the end of the month.
"Oman Air's first Dreamliner taking to the skies and landing in Salalah marks a momentous occasion in the airline history of Oman. We are immensely proud to be introducing the Dreamliner to our fleet. We are also honoured to have the opportunity to showcase the aircraft to the people of Oman in advance of it entering scheduled service,” said Abdulrahaman Al-Busaidy, Chief Operating Officer, Oman Air.
Oman Air placed a firm order for six 787-8s in November 2011 as part of its development plan to increase connectivity in and out of Oman and will debut the aircraft in scheduled service from October 25, 2015 when it will replace an Airbus A330 on the Muscat – Frankfurt route and latterly to Saudi Arabia. A second Dreamliner will arrive with the airline in November 2015 with the four remaining aircraft arriving between 2016 and 2018.
"Once this excellent new aircraft starts to operate on routes to Europe and Saudi Arabia, it will provide the perfect environment in which to enjoy Oman Air's unique hospitality, award-winning service and newly-designed, stylish interiors,” said Al-Busaidy
"Our decision to invest in this game-changing airplane underlines our confidence in the 787 and the value it will add in terms of reliability, operational efficiency and comfort," added Paul Gregorowitsch, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air.
Boeing currently has eight 787 customers in the Middle East with a total of 175 Dreamliners ordered and 140 in its backlog. Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family has opened more than 50 new non-stop routes around the world.
Here's Oman Air’s proposed 787 introductory schedule as extracted from OAG Schedules Analyser on the morning of October 11, 2015 through to the end of next month...
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