In the interest of financial sustainability and operational continuity, Oman Air has announced a comprehensive programme to restructure the airline.

His Excellency Eng. Saeed Al Mawali, minister of transport,  communications and information technology and chairman of Oman Air, said the programme, which will be implemented over the next 3-4 years, aims to address ongoing losses and the accumulation of debt.

It also pins on four main pillars:  financial sustainability, corporate governance, commercial aspects, and human capital.

In a statement, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, based at Muscat International Airport, noted that the programme is based on the recommendations of international management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, who conducted a thorough assessment of the airline's financial and commercial performance and presented practical measures to achieve sustainable commercial operations.

In addition, Oman Air said it will restructure with the "aim of improving its basic operational performance and enabling it to better meet the needs of the market."

Radical and sustainable transformation

"His Excellency indicated that the procedures for Oman Air's radical and sustainable transformation require the use of qualified experts," the statement said.

"In this regard, changes will be made in the current Board of Directors and Executive Management team during the coming months, ensuring the onboarding of highly qualified experts, whether local or international."

It added that in corporate governance, Al Mawali noted that specialised committees had been formed to reformulate governance concerned with human, financial and commercial resources affiliated with the Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, the airline's network is being re-evaluated by international experts, and decisions will be taken on whether to continue to certain destinations.

Integration with Salam Air — a low-cost airline from Oman headquartered and based at Muscat International Airport — is also high on the programme's agenda.

"His Excellency stressed that the upcoming steps will positively affect the quality and reliability of Oman Air's services and expressed his thanks to the company's workforce for their contribution and efforts during the last period," the announcement said.