Oman Air adds routes to Dubai, London and Chennai

Oman Air is now operating five weekly flights between Muscat and Dubai. Wikimedia Commons

Oman Air has announced that it is adding flights to a number of cities internationally.

The national airline of Oman is increasing its routes to Dubai, London and Doha, as well routes from Muscat to Mumbai, Cairo, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Lahore and Chennai.

The airline announced that the increased routes will launch this month.

The flights connecting Muscat and Dubai will increase from three to five flights per week, while the Muscat and London route will increase from two to thee flights per week and the Muscat and Doha route will increase from two to four flights per week.

In a statement, the airline said: "Oman Air will continue to maintain its comprehensive safety programme throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are onboard the aircraft and in Oman's airports.

"Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline's guests and crew are safe at all times."

Oman Air now operates routes from Muscat to 28 cities internationally:

• Bahrain
• Bangkok
• Bengaluru
• Cairo
• Chennai
• Chittagong
• Colombo
• Dar es Salaam
• Delhi
• Dhaka
• Doha
• Dubai
• Duqm
• Frankfurt
• Hyderabad
• Islamabad
• Istanbul
• Karachi
• Khasab
• Kochi
• Kuala Lumpur
• Kuwait
• Lahore
• London
• Manila
• Mumbai
• Salalah
• Zanzibar

Travelling from the UAE to Oman 

In December, Oman closed its borders for a week in response to the new strain of Covid-19. The country has since reopened for GCC citizens, residents and travellers from 103 countries that do not require a visa, but there are new rules in place.

Travellers flying to the UAE from Oman must follow the rules in place for each emirate. In Dubai, no Covid-19 test is required before flying. Instead, travellers can take a test upon arrival.

For those flying to Abu Dhabi, a negative PCR test result taken at an accredited laboratory within 96 hours of departure is required. Another Covid-19 test will be given to travellers upon arrival. Oman is currently on Abu Dhabi's green list, which means travellers do not need to quarantine. This list is updated every two weeks, and could change in the future.

Instead of quarantine, travellers need to self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their on-arrival test and must take a Covid-19 PCR test on day six and day 12 of their stay in Abu Dhabi.

When it comes to travelling to the UAE by land, only Omani citizens can do so without prior permission. This rule was announced in November as a way to make travel between the UAE and Oman easier for Omanis.

Citizens of the sultanate are exempt from requiring prior approval to enter the country through land ports, reported Wam.