Oman Air targets Singapore with new nonstop flight as Gulf carriers ramp up services

Oman-air" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="152403" data-entity-type="organization">Oman Air is looking to capitalise ⁠on the Gulf ⁠state’s appeal as a largely ⁠untapped tourism destination as it launches flights from Muscat to Singapore on Thursday and considers an expansion to North Asia over the next year.The new nonstop Singapore service was underpinned by a lower cost ‌base and the airline’s year-old membership in the Oneworld alliance to aid with connections, as serving the city state with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur failed nine years ago, Oman-air" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="152403" data-entity-type="organization">Oman Air CEO Con Korfiatis said in an interview.“Singapore is one of the major global hubs … and Singaporeans are among the most avid travellers in the ⁠world,” he said. “Oman has moved from being a transit point … to now also being a tourist destination, ‌and that has created a different market opportunity.”Singaporeans are among the most avid travellers in the ⁠worldKorfiatis said the airline was targeting load factors, or the percentage of seats filled, in the ‌mid-to-high 70 per cent range in year one for the Singapore route, and first-month bookings ⁠were tracking above that ⁠level.