As CEB Secures More Slots To Muscat
9 April 2015
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| Oman Air inaugural flight on board A330-300 to Manila was greeted with water cannon salute on December 2, 2014 |
9 April 2015
Oman Air will fly daily services to Manila after the Philippines has signed amended air service agreement (ASA) with the Sultanate of Oman further expanding flights between the two country, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
The expanded bilaterals also secures four slots to Cebu Pacific (CEB) while the remaining three is held by Philippine Airlines since bagging the slot in 2009.
CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said they approved the increase frequencies between Manila and Muscat to seven flights per week from the current three flights per week allowing Oman Air to fly daily to Manila before years end.
The expansion of frequencies “is upon the request of Oman. Their lone carrier, Oman Air, wants to expand their entitlements here to daily,” Mr. Arcilla said.
Oman Air CEO Paul Gregorowitsch has been impressed by Manila performance that the airline is adding more capacity very quickly.
Gregorowitsch said they are "highly confident" of the "economic viability" of the daily operations.
Gregorowitsch was earlier quoted by CAPA saying that only 38% of Oman Air’s Manila passengers to date have connected beyond Muscat. Of the 62% point to point component, 42% is labour traffic (Filipinos working in Oman) and 20% is business traffic. Most of the transit passengers from Manila are connecting to other destinations in the Middle East although Oman Air also has seen a large volume of passengers heading between Manila and Paris.
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), about 40,000 of them in Oman, are the carrier’s core market, says Gregorowitsch.
Meanwhile, Arcilla added that the new Air Services Agreement signed last Monday allows fifth freedom traffic rights for Philippine-based carriers to fly to Europe, from Muscat wherein carriers from the Philippines would be allowed to carry passengers to one point in Europe, one point in India, and one point in the Gulf States. Similarly, Oman-based airlines would be allowed to carry passengers to one point in Malaysia, one point in Indonesia, and one point in Thailand.
Oman Air is the designated carrier of the Sultanate of Oman which started thrice-weekly service between Manila and Muscat on December 2 last year. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific (CEB) and Philippine Airlines (PAL) are designated carriers for the Philippines.
PAL has expressed intentions to fly Muscat, Doha, Jeddah, and Kuwait in 2013 but none of those destinations have been flown. Meanwhile, CEB intends to fly to Oman this year after securing more rights to fly Muscat.
The expanded bilaterals also secures four slots to Cebu Pacific (CEB) while the remaining three is held by Philippine Airlines since bagging the slot in 2009.
CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said they approved the increase frequencies between Manila and Muscat to seven flights per week from the current three flights per week allowing Oman Air to fly daily to Manila before years end.
The expansion of frequencies “is upon the request of Oman. Their lone carrier, Oman Air, wants to expand their entitlements here to daily,” Mr. Arcilla said.
Oman Air CEO Paul Gregorowitsch has been impressed by Manila performance that the airline is adding more capacity very quickly.
Gregorowitsch said they are "highly confident" of the "economic viability" of the daily operations.
Gregorowitsch was earlier quoted by CAPA saying that only 38% of Oman Air’s Manila passengers to date have connected beyond Muscat. Of the 62% point to point component, 42% is labour traffic (Filipinos working in Oman) and 20% is business traffic. Most of the transit passengers from Manila are connecting to other destinations in the Middle East although Oman Air also has seen a large volume of passengers heading between Manila and Paris.
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), about 40,000 of them in Oman, are the carrier’s core market, says Gregorowitsch.
Meanwhile, Arcilla added that the new Air Services Agreement signed last Monday allows fifth freedom traffic rights for Philippine-based carriers to fly to Europe, from Muscat wherein carriers from the Philippines would be allowed to carry passengers to one point in Europe, one point in India, and one point in the Gulf States. Similarly, Oman-based airlines would be allowed to carry passengers to one point in Malaysia, one point in Indonesia, and one point in Thailand.
Oman Air is the designated carrier of the Sultanate of Oman which started thrice-weekly service between Manila and Muscat on December 2 last year. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific (CEB) and Philippine Airlines (PAL) are designated carriers for the Philippines.
PAL has expressed intentions to fly Muscat, Doha, Jeddah, and Kuwait in 2013 but none of those destinations have been flown. Meanwhile, CEB intends to fly to Oman this year after securing more rights to fly Muscat.
With 5th freedom rights, I think this will be a positive sign for PR to open another European city via MCT hopefully they can deploy their bi-class A330 not the mono class sardine can HGW. Will it be MNL-MCT- FRA/CDG,MXP/FCO ? way to go PAL
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