SalamAir has been acquired by Oman’s government as part of an integration process. According to the government, the acquisition aims to form a “sustainable national aviation sector,” though Oman Air and SalamAir will remain independent in both operations and branding for the time being.
The origins of each operation
The Omani government took over Oman Air in 2007 but it has faced many losses as an airline since this and has been under a new reconstruction initiative since 2023. Part of this initiative is its partnership with SalamAir.
SalamAir originated in 2017 and has been Oman’s biggest budget airline for almost ten years, holding a large fleet of 15 Airbus single-aisle jets and plans for expansion with a variety of aircraft models. It currently operates Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft but aims to expand its capacity for long-haul and regional flights with Airbus A330neo and Embraer 195-E2 jets.
The “integration” process
SalamAir’s acquisition has been completed, according to the Omani government. They have described the operation as integrating the two carriers in order to broaden the connections, both for sustainability and tourism in both airlines.
The government plans to keep both fleets separate, and have been clear that this process is not a merger. But the government is open to sharing resources if this benefits the airlines and passengers. They have also described exploring opportunities for resource sharing in terms of maintenance and operations from an economic perspective. However, they have stated that both airlines will keep their loyalty programmes and these will remain separate.
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