Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman, has reported a 17 per cent rise in passenger turnout in 2009 with 2.3 million over the previous year figure of 1.9 million.

With new destinations and the introduction of the new A330 aircrafts, Oman Air Cargo too surged ahead posting an impressive result of 67 per cent increase on revenue during the last year, as compared to 2008.

The airline boosted its fleet by eight aircraft to a total of 21, launched five new destinations and expanded its flying program with extra frequencies on key routes.

Oman Air currently flies to 32 destinations.

The positive results and achievements augured well with the increase of the company's capital from OR50 million ($130m) to OR300 by the government, which was announced during the Oman Air extraordinary general meeting and annual general meeting..

The year 2009 started off with the unveiling of Oman Air's business class seats on board the new A330 fleet at the International Tourism Bourse, Berlin and the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

It was the year that Oman Air introduced new uniforms that matched with the livery of the airline. The new design follows an international style and is designed by the house of Balenciaga.

During the year Oman Air commenced operations to Frankfurt and Munich in Germany and to Paris in France.

This was followed by the Maldives and Sri Lanka in October and November respectively. Last year also saw Oman Air joining the International Airlines Technical Pool Association.

Despite a global downturn in the cargo sector, Oman Air Cargo has enhanced its capacity utilisation and revenue with the company's fleet growth, while developing its global network, with high-frequency services to 32 on-line and 41 off-line destinations around the world.

The introduction of A330 routes further gave Oman Air Cargo an opportunity to sell beyond Muscat and become a network trans-shipment carrier in its own right.

Oman Air ended the year with a landmark contract signed with Embraer, for the purchase of five Embraer 175 aircraft from the E-Jets family, and has taken options for five more.

Looking ahead, this year is going to be another significant one for Oman Air with more destinations planned and two more A 330s joining its expanding fleet this year.

Coming up ahead on the destinations front are Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur and some points in East Africa, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service