Oman Air has announced significant workforce and fleet reductions as part of a broad effort to cut operational costs.
The national carrier confirmed it had laid off 1,100 employees, bringing headcount down from around 4,300 to just under 3,200. “If you looked at the number of staff we had for the size of our fleet, we were off the charts compared to all our neighbours and to all relevant benchmarks we could find,” said Con Korfiatis, CEO of Oman Air.
Fleet restructuring
As part of the cost-saving measures, the airline retired its entire fleet of 10 Airbus A330s and sold two Boeing 787-8s. The streamlined fleet now consists of roughly 23 narrow-body aircraft—primarily Boeing 737 MAXs—alongside 10 Boeing 787-9s.
Future growth remains measured: two additional MAX aircraft are expected, with one scheduled for delivery this year and another in Q3 2026. Six more Boeing 787s are set to join the fleet in 2027.
Strategy shift
Rather than competing directly with larger Gulf carriers such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, Oman Air has shifted towards code-sharing partnerships. “We now have gone from empty cabins to 70 percent seat capacity after this change of alliance with other airlines,” Korfiatis said.
