Licence awarded for Oman’s first low-cost carrier

Muscat: Muscat National Development & Investment Company, Asas, has been awarded an air services operator licence to establish Oman’s first low-cost carrier. Given by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation, this new venture is anticipated to fuel economic growth underpinned by strong air traffic demand which is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2019.
Eng. Khalid bin Hilal Al Yahmadi, CEO of Asas, commented, “At Asas, our aim is to become one of the main development and investment arms for the government and pension funds in the country. To that end, we have identified a portfolio of potential development projects for the next 5 to 10 years across various industries. One of the core sectors is tourism and we are adopting an integrated approach that covers its entire supply chain of which transportation plays an instrumental role as an enabler for the development of the economy in general and tourism in particular.”
He added,“The national budget airline will provide access to economical and efficient means of transport and further advance the aviation sector in Oman. It will naturally complement our diverse projects that will soon come on stream, including our real estate and entertainment projects to maximise impact and generate sustainable returns. The constant growth of the aviation sector in the region is what drove us to explore the sector and create value for Oman.”
Established in late 2014, Asas’s mandate is founded on identifying new investment opportunities and intelligent solutions that meet public needs to enrich the quality of life of people in Oman. The company’s business model revolves around collaborating with different public and private sectors efforts in tourism, logistics, healthcare and education to contribute to the diversification of the national economy