Oman’s first economic air carrier, SalamAir, yesterday inaugurated its first direct flights to the city of Almaty in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The twice weekly flights will be operated on Saturdays and Wednesdays, using its latest Airbus aircraft.

Mohammed Ali Najmuddin, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Oman, said that the new destination will enhance bilateral relations between the two countries, especially economic and tourism relations. "We are counting on this historic step, since it introduced the first scheduled flight between the two countries," the ambassador added.

On his turn, Dr. Anwar Mohammed Al Rawas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SalamAir Company, said that choosing Almaty in the Republic of Kazakhstan was based on studies about the business market and tourism data. The city, he explained, boasts large scale tourism potentials that made it an attractive destination for many visitors from around the world.

Al Rawas expressed the company's keenness to expand its fleet to more local, regional and international destinations in implementation of a strategy based on professional foundations.

Captain Mohammed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said that the new destination will provide regular flights throughout the year and is expected to attract many tourists and residents from both countries. He pointed out that the company intends to expand the number of flights to more than two per week in the next stage.

SalamAir operates direct flights to 39 local, regional and international destinations. Its daily flights include Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Duqm and Masirah.

Source: Oman News Agency