Oman Air Records Strong 2025 Performance, Returns to Positive EBITDA

‍SEEB — At the annual joint media gathering, key executives in Oman's aviation landscape provided updates on Oman Air (WY)'s transformation, the acquisition of SalamAir (OV), and the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East.

The airline registered 64% point-to-point passengers in 2025, an increase of 34% year-on-year, achieving an important KPI in its transformation. Point-to-point traffic is crucial to supporting tourism and business in Oman, as the airline’s board has repeatedly stated. The airline registered a load factor of 82%, up 10% over the same period. Passengers carried increased to 5.8 million, up 7% versus 2024 and 57% versus 2022. SLL saw a significant increase in capacity and traffic, with 19% more passengers carried to the destination. 

“The pace of our transformation has really accelerated in 2025,” commented Con Korfiatis, WY’s CEO. About previous transformation stages, he added: “As the airline industry was coming out of COVID, most competitors used COVID to undergo significant cost cuttings and come back stronger. Unfortunately, Oman Air did not take maximum advantage.”

Oman Air focused on sustainable growth; for instance, the business case for new routes must be sound, and more announcements can be expected soon. In 2025, WY increased capacity to Zurich, Moscow, and London. With the oneworld membership, WY can now access 900 destinations. 

Between the end of 2025 and 2026, WY launched several new destinations from its main hubs in Muscat (MCT) and Salalah (SLL), offering fixed fares for Omani nationals. Plans to establish a direct connection between Salalah (SLL) and Dubai (DXB) remain in place, though they have been postponed due to the ongoing crisis. 

Despite the regional conflict, 80% of WY’s flights continued uninterrupted. The airline added 1378 flights to meet temporary demand, together with bus support services for those crossing the land border. Cargo saw a strong increase of almost a factor of five to support regional flows of essential goods. 

2026 will mark another crucial year for WY, with several announcements regarding fleet, products, network, and connectivity expected in the short- to medium-term. A few important decisions will concern the airline’s future WiFi provider, widebody seat layout, and destinations in Asia. While operational independence from OV remains, both Omani airlines are expected to work more closely in the future.

Network changes outlook

While the current crisis has affected some existing destinations, Oman Air is studying potential additions to its network. “We have the aspiration to see Oman Air aircraft in China, sooner rather than later, and announcements can be expected,” said Con. 

“We have nine widebody aircraft that can fly to Australia nonstop. We have that capability already; a tenth aircraft is currently leased out until the end of the year and will provide more capacity soon,” he added.

The airline's widebody utilization grew by 10% in 2025; WY is planning to receive six more Boeing 787s, with the first delivery starting in 2028. 

About a potential service to North America, Con said: “If you were to fly daily to the US, it would require us 2.5 aircraft. That is a huge investment, and those routes will need to yield a high return to justify their existence. The other side of the world, potentially Australia at some point, could be interesting for us, and it has potential.”

Overall, the Omani sector saw a temporary spike in traffic at the beginning of the crisis, followed by a dip starting in April as countries discouraged travel through the Middle East. Travel declines can reach up to 20% on some days, as reflected in hotel bookings. The aviation and tourism industries in Oman need to work together, according to WY’s CEO. The focus remains on connecting Oman better by investing in point-to-point traffic.