Muscat: Oman Air is in talks to partner with a Chinese airline to launch direct flights between Muscat and Shanghai, Chief Executive Paul Gregorowitsch said.
Oman Air last month indicated it had plans to fly to Shanghai but did not state that a partner was involved.
Gregorowitsch, speaking to Gulf News on Sunday at the Oman Air offices in Muscat, declined to name the partner as negotiations were ongoing, but said he hoped the deal would “finalise soon.”
The partnership will initially be a Special Prorate Agreement (SPA), Gregorowitsch said, which will allow the two airlines to sell tickets on each others’ flights. The partnership could develop into a codeshare and joint venture at a later date, Gregorowitsch said.
Oman Air will launch flights to Beijing and Guangzhou following Shanghai, he also said.
Oman Air has so far opted to carve out a series of partnerships with other airlines rather than join one of the global alliances.
“In the alliances, the big airlines are determining what has to be done,” Gregorowitsch said.
“You can survive and build your network with codeshare with joint ventures in a more successful way,” he added.
Oman Air is also hopeful of sealing partnerships with Delta, Lufthansa and Swiss Air. Earlier this year, it signed a codeshare agreement with the Netherland’s KLM.
