MUNICH/MUSCAT — The introduction of direct flight between Muscat and Munich will contribute to further bolstering of German-Oman connections, said Dr Marcel Huber, state secretary, Bavarian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs recently.

He was speaking as guest of honour at yet another impressive evening at the hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski in Munich to celebrate Oman Air’s Muscat-Munich direct flight.

Oman Air now flies three times a week between Munich and Muscat — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Pointing out that Oman Air is now able to fill an important gap in international air travel between Central Europe and the Arabian Peninsula, Dr Huber said, “compared to the existing services, this direct flight reduces the flight time by at least three hours.”

Optimistic

Meanwhile, Mohammed bin Hamoud Al Toobi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Tourism, sounded optimistic about the response to the new routes of Frankfurt and Munich launched by Oman Air.

“Although the global aviation industry faced turbulence last year, the Middle East region suffered marginally less. Besides the ministry, Oman Air also studied the routes before taking a decision,” Al Toobi said, speaking on the sidelines of the event.

Khalifa bin Ali Al Harthy, Omani ambassador to Germany along with the major players from the German travel industry attended the event. Others who were present on the occasion included Peter Hill, CEO; Barry Brown, chief commercial officer of Oman Air and other dignitaries.

Al Toobi further said that Germans are among the largest group of visitors to Oman and the beginning of these services is a clear indication that the rapport will endure.

Business

“Visitors always seek easier ways to reach a destination of their choice. When there is a direct flight connecting the destination of their choice tourist as well as business flow will increase,” he explained.

“We think the number will grow in the coning years,” Al Toobi said, and pointed out “despite the economic crisis, the Sultanate is still growing and is expected to grow by 2.5 per cent. This is a positive sign.”

The undersecretary also said that Ministry of Tourism and Oman Air are constantly exploring new destinations for launch. “When there is potential market to tap, we consult each other,” he said.

Al Toobi said Oman is now focusing on ‘responsible tourists’ to visit the country and choose ‘destinations cautiously’. “We want visitors to Oman to leave no negative impact on the society, culture and environment. We would like to see responsible tourists visiting our country,” he remarked.

Strong connection

Reinhold Bocklet, vice-president, Parliament of Bavaria who has visited Oman earlier, said one of the impediments for travel between Munich and Muscat was lack of a direct flight.

“This direct flight solves the problem. The connection between countries is stronger if they are directly linked. I believe Oman has a lot of potential on the investment front,” said the parliamentarian.

In his speech, Dr Marcel Huber elaborated that notwithstanding the distance of several thousand kilometres between the two countries, there has been a friendly political dialogue between Oman and Germany for several years.

He said, “Our countries share a range of common interests. For years, there has been a close cooperation in a number of international bodies based on mutual trust. We have established a successful cooperation in many areas including economic, education, international trade, medicine, science, sports and music.”

Stating that the most important German products that are exported to Oman are cars, machines, facilities and installations as well as electrical and chemical goods, Dr Huber said, “I am proud to say that in Bavaria more than a hundred enterprises have business relations with Oman. The protection of the environment has become an area of cooperation of utmost importance. Both Oman and Germany and Bavaria set great store by sustainable development.”

“It will improve this association since it is good to have a direct connection. It is great for tourists as well as businessmen from both sides. It is particularly great for those who need help with the medical system,” Dr Huber said.

Boost to education

“This will also boost education exchange since Germany will be easier to access for students,” he said.

Juma Al Maskari, member of German-Omani Association, said Germans have always responded positively to Oman. German-Omani Association has focused on developing amicable relations between the two countries and on promoting cooperation in culture, business, science and sports.

Barry Brown said the airlines was confident of weathering tough times that the world is facing today. “We don’t feel the slowdown the world is feeling in Oman. There is still a large number of leisure travellers with disposable income to spend and so we are fighting for that market with our new products on board,” Brown added.

New fleet

“With the unparalleled comfort provided by our new fleet of airbus and the outstanding services both on board and at the airport, we are confident Oman Air will strengthen its position in long haul routes,” he added

He said that the airline is now looking to launch flights to Kathmandu and Kuala Lumpur in 2010. “We will explore more destinations to Europe and East Africa later,” he said.

Oman Air, launched its non-stop scheduled services between Muscat and Frankfurt on September 30 and services between Muscat and Munich on October 1.

Oman Air flies four times weekly between Frankfurt and Muscat on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and flies three times between Munich and Muscat on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.