Route Analysis: Muscat-Prague

Oman’s SalamAir is expanding its European network this fall with the launch of service to the Czech Republic. The carrier plans to open two new routes to the country’s capital Prague (PRG) from both Muscat (MCT) and Salalah (SLL).

Muscat-Prague will launch on Nov. 4, operating once a week. The Salalah service will begin five days later and also receive one flight per week. Both routes will use Airbus A321neo aircraft.

SalamAir CEO Mohamed Ahmed said the LCC expects the two new routes to attract two-way leisure traffic, helping to contribute to Oman’s Vision 2040 that seeks diversify the country’s economy away from oil and increase the number of tourist arrivals to 11 million, up from about 3.2 million in 2019.

On the 4,794-km (2,589-nm) Muscat-Prague route, the airline will also be targeting business traffic and transfer passengers to other destinations served in the Middle East and Asia.

“We expect that SalamAir could transport up to nine thousand passengers in one direction between Oman and the Czech Republic during the winter operational season. Until now, destinations in Oman have mainly been operated from Prague by seasonal charter flights,” SalamAir aviation business director Jaroslav Filip said.

SalamAir’s booking system shows that flights will depart Muscat at 3.45 p.m. on Fridays and arrive in Prague at 8.15 p.m. The aircraft will then depart at 9.15 p.m. bound for Salalah, arriving in the city at 7.25 a.m. the following day.

Outbound flights from Salalah will depart on Wednesdays at 3.30 p.m. and arrive in the Czech capital at 8.35 p.m. The aircraft will then depart at 9.35 p.m. bound for Muscat, arriving in Oman’s capital at 6.55 a.m. the next day.

Oman and the Czech Republic have been served by nonstop scheduled flights since October 2018 when SmartWings began a weekly Prague-Salalah service. The route operated through May 2019 and resumed in October 2021 through May 2022. However, since then, the countries have been without scheduled service.

SalamAir commenced its commercial operations in 2017 and operates six A320neo and four A321neo aircraft. The carrier offers five other European routes at the present time, flying from Muscat to Baku (GYD), Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (SAW), Sarajevo (SJJ) and Trabzon (TZX), as well as connecting Sohar (OHS) and Trabzon.

MCT-PRG