Oman Air gives football sponsorship red card

Securing a high-profile football sponsorship deal is not on the agenda for Oman Air, the airline’s CEO Peter Hill has stated.

The expansionist carrier, which this month launches five new international routes, said sponsorships designed to attract the mass market – such as those secured by Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways - did not gel with the airline’s strategy.

Instead, identifying synergies with complementary brands in the luxury market was more Oman Air’s style, Hill explained.

“Every business gets into some form of sponsorship but while we are a value-for-money operation, we are not for the mass market,” he said.

“Sponsorship of football is more aligned to the mass market whereas we are looking for niche sponsorships - to be aligned to like-minded brands.”

Hill indicated that the airline was currently in talks with such brands while next month, prior to World Travel Market, Oman Air will be the headline sponsor for UK trade publication TTG Luxury’s luxury travel event in London.

Oman Air’s commitment to providing a high quality product in a bid to attract top-end tourists to Oman – a strategy that mirrors that of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism – is reflected in the brand new first-, business- and economy-class products it has rolled out on the recently delivered A330 aircraft.

Oman Air CEO Peter Hill said all of the airline’s new products – first-, business- and economy-class boasted more space than other carriers in its competitive set.

Oman Air has seven A330 aircraft on order at a cost of around US $100-150 million each, three of which (A330-300s) boast the brand new First Class cabin and product.