Oman’s value-for-money airline SalamAir is strengthening air connectivity between the Middle East and Asia after announcing the introduction of direct flights to one of the world’s favorite destinations. From mid-December onwards, passengers flying with the airline can look to flight services between Muscat and Bangkok, which will be the airline’s second destination in Thailand.
Touch down in Bangkok
Aimed at serving the high demand for leisure tourism, the direct flights between Muscat International Airport and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport are scheduled to commence on December 18th. The Omani carrier will operate the route thrice weekly, with services on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from Muscat.
| Flight number | Departure time | Arrival time | Operational days |
| OV 467 (MCT – BKK) |
|
And then from Bangkok, the flights are scheduled to take-off on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The flight time is approximately six hours, and flights will be operated by SalamAir’s fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft, which is currently configured for 180 passengers, enabling the airline to offer approximately 540 seats on this route.
| Flight number | Departure time | Arrival time | Operational days |
| OV 468 (BKK – MCT) |
|
Expanding presence in Southeast Asia
Since SalamAir began operations in 2017, the low-cost carrier has grown an adequate domestic route network that includes Muscat, Salalah, Suhar, Duqm, and Masirah. Internationally, the budget carrier seems to have grown even more, with destinations such as Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Istanbul, Prague, Lucknow, Bahrain, and Kathmandu, to name some.
However, the airline lacked a presence in Southeast Asia until December 2019, when it introduced direct flights to the Thai holiday island of Phuket. With the addition of Bangkok this December, SalamAir is not just providing more convenient air travel options, it also highlights its commitment to expanding within the region.
The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Captain Mohamed Ahmed, confirms the expansion plans as he said:
“We are delighted to commence flights between Muscat and Bangkok, as the flights will boost tourism, economic relations, and business opportunities between Oman and Thailand. The airline’s network expansion strategy is dedicated to increasingly connecting more destinations along new sectors to establish a strong pan-international presence.”
Bottom line
Given how quickly SalamAir can expand in Southeast Asia in this post-pandemic era, it is likely that another destination within the region will soon be introduced. Perhaps a destination in Indonesia or even Myanmar. However, the low-cost carrier will be up against the national carrier Oman Air, which has quite a significant presence within the region.
Currently, the national carrier operates several weekly flights to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Not to mention, Oman Air has four airline partners within Southeast Asia, so wherever SalamAir plans to fly next within the region, competition will indeed lurk in several countries.
Source: Travel News Asia
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- BKK/VTBS
- Country:
- Thailand
- CEO:
- Nitinai Sirismatthakarn
- Passenger Count :
- 16,706,000 (2020)
- Runways :
- 01R/19L – 4,000m (13,123ft) |01L/19R – 3,700m (12,139ft)
- Terminals:
- Terminal 1 |Terminal 2 |Terminal 3
