Trip Report: Flying Oman Air Dreamliner from Milan to Muscat

MUSCAT — Ciao from Milano! Recently, I flew Oman Air from Italy’s second-largest city to Muscat, connecting to Salalah. The route is operated by Oman Air’s two-class Boeing 787-9 four times a week. Oman Air officially joined the oneworld Alliance in summer 2025 and recently launched several new international routes across Asia, including the resumption of its non-stop flight to Singapore.

In Europe, Oman Air operates flights to major hubs such as London Heathrow (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC), Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), Rome (FCO), Milan (MXP), and Zurich (ZRH). The service to Milan holds special meaning to me: three years ago, this was my first-ever flight on the Boeing 787. 

We arrived at the airport far too early after a short morning flight from Amsterdam. Instead of taking the relatively short train and exploring the city center, I elected to stay at the airport to get some work done. Milan Malpensa is Italy’s second-busiest airport after Rome Fiumicino (FCO). While Italy’s flag carrier has made FCO its main hub and handles most of its traffic, MXP is mostly served by low-cost and legacy carriers, with a strong presence of widebodies from North America and Asia. 

The airport itself does not rank highly among my favorites in Europe: overpriced for being in Italy, aging and not well-maintained, and lacking some of the amenities one would expect from a European hub. On the other hand, the views from the departure lounge at Terminal 1, over both runways and the apron, do make up for the limited amenities pre-security.

Check-In

Check-in opened four hours before departure. Before reaching the desks, we were informed via SMS of a slight inbound delay that would not affect our connection. The check-in was quiet and efficient, with the staff proactively looking into a solution to allow my travel companion and me to sit together on this overnight flight. 

After receiving our boarding passes, we proceeded to the fast-track security before checking out some products in the duty-free area at Milan Malpensa. Passport controls took seconds, and we were on our way to the lounge in no time. Like many other airlines operating flights to MXP, Oman Air uses the Montale lounge.

The Lounge

The area features plenty of seating – although it can get busy at peak times – a shower, smoking and family rooms, and some great views of the apron and the mountains behind Milan. Where the lounge does not excel – consistently over the years and in line with several reviews – is dining. 

Italy is famous for many things, and food is arguably the most recognized staple of my birthplace. The lounge underdelivers, with few, monotonous options poorly presented and restocked. We did not go hungry, but unlike Oman Air’s lounge in Muscat, we would not come early to the airport specifically to spend time here.

The Cabin

We followed our aircraft, A4O-SE, approaching MXP via AirNav radar and headed to gate B59, where Oman Air’s ground staff already awaited the aircraft. The Boeing 787 was parked just next to Korean Air’s (KE) Dreamliner, featuring their new livery.

Boarding started shortly after, with the staff doing their best to minimize the inbound delay. We boarded through door 2L and turned right to seat 10D at the very front of the main Business Class cabin. Oman Air’s Boeing 787-9 is equipped with 30 Business Class and 258 Economy Class seats. The airline also features two Dreamliners in its fleet, with eight Business Studio seats, and usually operates those aircraft to London and Bangkok.

Oman Air is one of the few airlines to have installed the APEX suites in Business Class, arguably the most spacious seat on the Boeing 787. The 2-2-2 layout grants direct aisle access and virtually unlimited legroom, with the seat turning into the longest bed in Business Class.

The comfort comes at a non-significant expense (for the airline): between doors 1 and 2, Oman Air has fitted 24 seats, while most carriers in the region (and worldwide) install up to 30 or 32 seats. Oman Air also has a single row of Business class behind door 2, with only 6 seats, making it extra private.

While other airlines have expressed interest in keeping this configuration, WY expects its next round of Dreamliners to feature a brand-new product and to retrofit its existing Boeing 787s with the same layout in the upcoming years.

The seat features a beautiful, warm palette: the cabin feels classy, comfortable and private even without privacy doors. I have always been a fan of the design, which comes at the slight expense of storage compartments but offers sheer space and comfort. 

At our seat, we found the beautiful Amouage amenity kit, a bottle of water, menus, a bedding kit, and headphones. Backpacks and personal belongings can be stored under the large ottoman in front of the seat, together with your shoes and bags. Despite it being a touchscreen, the distance between the IFE and the seat makes a controller necessary to use the service properly. After boarding, we received a refreshing towel, traditional Arabic coffee and dates, and a welcome drink – can’t skip the lemon mint.

We pushed back slightly behind schedule after an efficient boarding and took off for our six-hour overnight flight. The cabin crew promptly started dinner service, with an aperitif consisting of nuts and a drink of choice.

Meal Service

The crew took our dining order – Oman Air offers both Western and Omani courses, and it is always straightforward for me to select the Omani ones. While I did miss the traditional Arabic mezze, the fish soup was a nice alternative. The main course was also up to standard, and while the tray service may appear less refined than it did on the same flight three years ago, it allowed the overall dining service to conclude much faster. 

On this occasion, I did not have too much time to check out the IFE offering; however, on my inbound flight back to Amsterdam (AMS), I found the selection to be up to date and easily accessible. The IFE system also lets you display the in-flight map on the remote while watching a movie, a feature I particularly appreciated. 

The amenity kit is packed with all the travel essentials and ranks among my favorites in the world. The goodies include skincare, a hand sanitizer, socks, a face mask, earplugs, and a much-welcome Amouage perfume sample. 

Based in Muscat, Amouage makes some of the world's best perfumes, and its partnership with Oman Air has lasted for several years. It is nice (and unique) to offer a sample of its perfumes in the amenity kit, together with a shopping gift voucher. All the goodies are delivered in a classy, highly reusable beauty case.

Oman Air remains one of the few airlines to offer pajamas on medium-haul overnight flights. I changed into the complimentary pajamas in the front lavatory, which was stocked with additional amenities to complete the Amouage kit.

Arrival

I woke up as we were approaching the UAE and explored the WiFi network without needing to connect as we crossed Dubai. I quickly checked the WIFi options – Oman Air has long said a much-needed replacement will come in the future, and it is easy to see why. Plans and pricing were seriously in need of an update; however, as I was told a few months back, this is necessary to avoid overloading the existing connectivity system. 

As I opted to sleep in, I missed the breakfast service, as it is tradition for me on overnight flights to the Middle East. We touched down smoothly, with Muscat’s mountain skyline following to our left, and immediately headed to the domestic transfer area.

As we booked this flight months ago, the excitement of flying Oman Air was once again justified. The airline has changed like few others over the past years, with the transformation still in full swing and profitability achieved in 2025. 

It is, however, refreshing and welcome that most of its signature touches - the Amouage amenity kit, the pajama, the welcome drink, and much more - have not been lost in the transformation due to cost-cutting. And I must say, on this flight, I particularly appreciated the speedy dinner service, as it allowed most passengers to maximize their sleep and the crew to properly rest between services. 

Oman Air has had a new CEO since early September, and it will be interesting to follow the airline’s developments after so many changes to its network, fleet, and staff. 

Special thanks go to the ground staff in Milan for their courtesy and professionalism, for allowing us to board slightly ahead of time to capture some clean cabin pictures, and to the cabin crew for their warm Omani hospitality.