Oman Air has become the latest Gulf carrier to announce that they’re more or less shutting down, joining Emirates, Etihad, and FlyDubai.
In this post:
Oman Air cuts passenger flights
Oman Air has announced plans to suspend all passenger flights as of 12PM on Sunday, March 29, 2020:
- Oman Air cargo operations will continue
- There is one exception to these suspensions, which is that once daily service of Oman Air’s domestic flight between Muscat and Khasab will continue
Oman Air operates a fleet of just over 50 aircraft, with wide bodies including 10 Airbus A330s and nine Boeing 787s. The airline flies to dozens of destinations, as far West as London, and as far East as Manila.
As of now Oman Air hasn’t removed inventory yet, so flights still show as bookable in the coming weeks. The airline is suspending operations indefinitely as of now, so we don’t know when flights will resume.
As Oman Air’s CEO, Abdulaziz Al Raisi, describes this move:
“This is a temporary suspension of our passenger services. We regret the difficulty and inconvenience this may cause, but it’s vital for us as the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman to assist in the country’s effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
We will prioritize the needs of our guests and employees as we continue to assess the evolving situation. This is an unprecedented time for our industry, but I am confident we will emerge stronger from this crisis as we had successfully done so in the past.”
Oman Air first class catering
This follows Oman’s strict new immigration policies
Like many countries, Oman is more or less closing borders. The country is banning Omanis from leaving, and is banning foreigners from entering the country.
While the Gulf carriers largely operate as airlines that use their hubs as transit points between other regions, that still comes with risk to the country in cases like this, since airline crews always return home to Muscat, and airport employees are in contact with so many transit passengers every day.
Muscat Airport
Bottom line
Hopefully Oman Air is able to resume operations soon. While Oman Air is much smaller than many of the other Gulf carriers, they’re one of my favorites, so I’m sad to see the country and airline shut off from the world.
Hopefully we can get this all sorted soon so life can get back to normal…
My flight booked from dammam to karachi 20May 2020 Wy692 please kindly inform
Sir what is the status of flight WY 844 frm manila to kuwait via muscat on 04 may 20 please kindly update me
Oman Air is totally closed and nobody know when they will open it. Its better not to buy ticket you will lose the money. I have already lose my money they are not refunding my tickets. Its is worst airline in the world.
Hi there I booked for my friend for May 18/ 2020 from Tehran to Muscat should I have a hope that this flight will happen?
Hi....team . I want to travel to India this month ends ASAP. Because my family all are worry and my Mom not well...I am travel from salalah to Mumbai.. .please help me out ...
Thanx
My flight was in 25th of march from islamabad to muskat to manchester which has been cancelled so as to closing all airports. I have stucked here in pakistan and my family is alone in manchester. I tried to contact with Oman Air but they dont give any response. We dont know when they will open their flights again. Qatar Airline and PIA have already open to take their passengers out but Oman Air is...
My flight was in 25th of march from islamabad to muskat to manchester which has been cancelled so as to closing all airports. I have stucked here in pakistan and my family is alone in manchester. I tried to contact with Oman Air but they dont give any response. We dont know when they will open their flights again. Qatar Airline and PIA have already open to take their passengers out but Oman Air is still stop of their services. We dont know where we have to get information for next flight.
We have a flight with Oman 30th March, had no email from Oman to say cancelled or rescheduled we just want to know what is going on and can we fly back to UK
I need to know ,my flight detail cos I am travelling with my kids ,my flight is on 4 April from Goa to Muscat n muscat to UK .In India everywhere is lock down for 21days n I don't get any response from airline wat to do??? So it's bit confused for me ...
Can I fly after lock down?????
Or shall I get the refund of my tickets??? Please reply????
I just need to know , my flight is on 1 April, From New Delhi, India to bahrain via Muscat,n India is lock down for 14 days but still my booking shows confirmed n untill now I didn’t got any mail from the airline.. so it’s a bit confusing for me..!! I can fly even after lock down..?? Or shall I get the refund of my tickets..?? Plz clearing..??
@VT-CIE
QR are still flying but even for them it will get tougher every day as borders are closing and and hubs & airports are not allowing transit passengers, Muscat being one of the latest (and an important hub for QR). At some point there might actually be a global standstill as apart from repatriations of stranded tourists demand has totally dried up.
I cannot imagine that this is really financially viable (even...
@VT-CIE
QR are still flying but even for them it will get tougher every day as borders are closing and and hubs & airports are not allowing transit passengers, Muscat being one of the latest (and an important hub for QR). At some point there might actually be a global standstill as apart from repatriations of stranded tourists demand has totally dried up.
I cannot imagine that this is really financially viable (even with low fuel prices) and all of QR’s investments (CX etc) have all taken a big hit. So will be interesting to watch.
At this point QR is one of the few airlines flying in the Middle East.
Hope on 6 April 2020 I can to go Muscat. Please if can't how can I do, I want to come back French quickly.
With India shutting down all aviation till April 14 this was inevitable. Like how the tourism of Thailand and Singapore is dependent on Chinese similarly the Gulf carriers are dependent on Indian travellers.
flydubai Airline sent me this about my reservation from Sofia Bulgaria>
Important changes to your booking (Booking reference: )
Hello,
We want to let you know about some important changes to your flydubai booking.
Your flydubai flight FZ1758 departing on 06 April 2020 at 16:10 from Sofia Airport (SOF) will not operate. You will be reaccommodated on the next available flydubai flight and you will receive your updated itinerary within the next...
flydubai Airline sent me this about my reservation from Sofia Bulgaria>
Important changes to your booking (Booking reference: )
Hello,
We want to let you know about some important changes to your flydubai booking.
Your flydubai flight FZ1758 departing on 06 April 2020 at 16:10 from Sofia Airport (SOF) will not operate. You will be reaccommodated on the next available flydubai flight and you will receive your updated itinerary within the next seven days.
If you would like to talk to us about anything else related to your journey, please call our Contact Centre on (+971) 600 54 44 45, send an email to [email protected] or send a private message on Facebook.
So how Can I request a cash refund to my original payment ?
EC261 & Coronavirus: Does It Apply?
Flydabai WEB updates say :
Today > Last updated: 24 March 2020, 16:13 Dubai (GMT+4)
We continue to monitor the situation relating to Coronavirus (COVID-19) closely.
flydubai follows the directives issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the local health authorities. We will continue to work closely with our airport and airline partners to ensure that all safety measures are in place and in line with international standards.
Customer enquiries
If your travel plans are affected, please find below information regarding your rebooking and refund options.
Cancellations
If your flight is cancelled, the following options are available to you:
Refund
You can request a refund to flydubai voucher.
Rebooking
You can rebook, free of charge, to travel up to 60 days from your original date of travel.
If you choose to rebook more than 60 days from your original date of travel, any difference in fare will apply.
You will need to rebook your flights before 31 March 2020 for both of the above options.
Change in travel plans
If you would like to change your travel plans, the following options are available to you:
Refund
You can request a refund to flydubai voucher and normal fare rules will apply.
Rebooking
You can rebook without penalty to travel at a later date; any difference in fare will apply. You will need to rebook your flights before 31 March 2020. Normal fare rules will apply to any changes made to your booking after 01 April 2020.
Let’s talk
Please go to the “Manage Booking” tab on flydubai.com to rebook or request a refund.
Please only call our Contact Centre on (+971) 600 54 44 45, send an email to [email protected] with “Change my booking” in the subject line or send a private message on Facebook if you need further assistance with your booking.
If you made your booking through a travel agent or travel partner, please get in touch with them directly regarding your refund and rebooking option.
This i not going to be over soon Lucky.
Even in a best case scenario where the various anti-viral medicines have the effect hoped for, we are still looking at until after summer before supplies of medicines, test equipment and protective gear are big enough that general quarantines can be lifted. Industries will ramp up production the longer this takes, but that will take time.
And you would probably need forced isolation of those that...
This i not going to be over soon Lucky.
Even in a best case scenario where the various anti-viral medicines have the effect hoped for, we are still looking at until after summer before supplies of medicines, test equipment and protective gear are big enough that general quarantines can be lifted. Industries will ramp up production the longer this takes, but that will take time.
And you would probably need forced isolation of those that gets sick in hotels or some other kind of make shift hospital to break the chain of infections while doing wide scale testing.