Oman Air to nationalise senior leadership team; to hire an Omani as CEO

National carrier Oman Air is planning to hire an Omani as its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ahmed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications has informed the Majlis Al Shura on Monday.

“This is part of recruiting more locals in senior posts. We were asked to employ 3,000 Omanis as part of the government’s 25,000 employment initiative. We have achieved 1,000 so far,” he said.

According to Futaisi, Oman Air is currently making profits on only 24 of its 49 routes.

The airline flies to 49 destinations across the world.

Futaisi added that 11 of the 49 routes are loss-making, while the remaining 14 has seen a growth in revenue.

He added that Oman air will continue to be subsidised for some more years and the recent restructuring is part of the efforts to make the airline to make profits.

The minister also said that Sohar International Airport is being promoted heavily, with private investment to be sought from several countries, including Malaysia, India, China and Thailand.

The airport will be offered for private investment in the first half of this year.