winning Airbus A330-200 aircraft to the hugely popular Muscat to Doha service. From June 1, the A330s will operate every Sunday (WY670), Monday (WY670) and Tuesday (WY664) as part of the airline's schedule of four daily flights to Qatar's capital city. Oman Air's upgrade of the selected flights from narrow-body aircraft to the spacious and luxurious A330s has been undertaken in response to increasing demand for flights between Muscat and Doha. The larger jets offer 20 business class seats and 196 economy class seats, enabling many more customers to fly between the two cities and access Oman Air's rapidly expanding global network. When Oman Air first launched its Muscat-Doha service in 1996, it offered three flights per week. Frequencies subsequently increased to seven flights per week and then 21 flights per week by the first quarter of 2015. The airline now offers 28 flights per week and in 2015, Oman Air carried 134,832 passengers on the route: an increase of 41 percent on the previous year. To date, Oman Air's A330 fleet has been deployed primarily on long haul routes. However, the aircraft's flexibility, capacity and comfort also make it ideal for high-demand, short haul operations. It provides an outstanding environment in which customers can enjoy Oman Air's authentic hospitality and welcoming onboard service. The deployment of A330s on Oman Air's Muscat-Doha service forms part of the airline's current ambitious fleet and network expansion plan. In addition to increasing the size of its fleet to 70 aircraft by 2020, Oman Air is unveiling a range of exciting new destinations, increased frequencies and expanded capacity on established routes, and improved connections at its home base of Muscat International Airport. — SG
