Oman Air wants Modi to correct seat entitlement imbalance

Oman Air is looking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set right what the airline's top official Paul Gregorowitsch calls an imbalance in seat entitlements between India and Oman, as compared to other nations in the Gulf region.

Speaking to IANS on Tuesday on the sidelines of a media event organised to formally launch flight services four times a week from Muscat to Goa, Gregorowitsch also said that the possible lifting of economic sanctions against Iran in the near future would offer Oman Air an opportunity to serve as an aero-bridge between the Islamic Republic across the Gulf of Oman and the western world.

"We have had the highest diplomatic representations from Oman visiting India.

"And with the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Sultanate of Oman, we hope that he will also carry additional landing rights for the national carrier of Oman as a gift to the Sultanate of Oman," he said.

Gregorowitsch also said that as far as entitlements were concerned, Oman was being "discriminated" against, as compared to seat entitlements given to other Emirates like Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh by India.

He also said that Goa, where Oman Air started its service some days ago, was its 11th destination in the South Asian continent and globally the airline was looking at covering 75 destinations by 2020 with a 70-strong fleet.

While China is going to be the airline's 49th destination, Gregorowitsch said that the company was looking forward to Iran as the next promising destination.

"With the possible lifting of economic sanctions on Iran and the very strategic positioning of the Sultanate (of Oman), it could help find a bridge between the western nations and Iran," he added.