On Board Oman Air's Inaugural Flight to Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM — The past 48 hours have been among the most significant for Oman Air (WY). On June 30, the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman officially joined the oneworld Alliance. The day after, it launched its inaugural flight to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) from Muscat Airport (MCT).

The Dutch capital represents an underserved business and leisure market, and Oman Air has been keen on starting the route for some time.

After attending the global media conference about the new oneworld membership from WY’s headquarters in Muscat, I boarded the inaugural flight, WY171, bound for the Dutch capital.

At the Airport

Oman Air features a stunning check-in area dedicated to business class passengers. At 10:30 am local time, the inaugural party began, with executives from the airline, the Dutch ambassador to Oman, and many VIPs joining the guests for the occasion. 

The atmosphere was building up with local music, refreshments, and a great mood from the entire team. In the morning, Oman Air also announced its new deputy CEO, Hamood bin Musbah al Alawi. 

After the traditional cake cutting, we proceeded to the priority security area, which took only minutes, before heading to the exclusive first-class section of the lounge, which had been opened for the occasion.

The Lounge

The first-class area was once dedicated to first-class passengers; however,  after the product got rebranded, it serves as a VIP area for special events. I immediately noticed the oneworld logo at the entrance of the lounge, as well as the list of airlines that are members of the alliance. July 1 was the first day when travelers could access WY’s beautiful lounge, as the first day on which Oman Air would formally be part of the alliance.  

The lounge offers lockers, showers, sleeping rooms, business centres, and much more. It is worth arriving well in advance to explore this area of the airport and make the most of your time here. As most of our time was taken up by the gate party and celebrations, we only spent around half an hour here, relaxing before our flight.

For the event, an à la carte menu was available together with mocktails and canapés. I had a quick bite and traditional Omani coffee, which I always appreciate when travelling with Oman Air.

On Board

We boarded A4O-SJ from gate A8 after a short walk from the lounge. The aircraft is the last Boeing 787-9 to join Oman Air’s fleet, starting commercial service on June 17^th, less than two weeks before the inaugural flight. Equipped with a two-class layout, WY has installed 30 business-class and 258 economy-class seats on this variant of the Dreamliner. The main business class cabin would be my home for the next 6 hours and 30 minutes. 

Spread over two cabins, passengers can enjoy the Apex suites on board. Together with Korean Air (KE), Gulf Air (GF), and Japan Airlines (JL), WY is one of the very few airlines in the world to feature this premium product in its fleet. While most airlines typically install around 30 seats, the main cabin features only 24 seats, with four additional seats located behind door 2.

Despite the 2-2-2 arrangement, all seats are front-facing and provide excellent privacy as well as direct aisle access. In economy class, the seats are divided into two main cabins and are arranged in the traditional 3-3-3 layout.

Thanks to the pre-boarding procedure, boarding the aircraft was as smooth and relaxed as possible. We boarded from door 1L, which is directly connected to the terminal via a jet bridge. Here I was greeted by the cabin manager, who escorted me to my seat 11J. The seat is located in the second row of the cabin, facing the aisle on the left, and features ample legroom, thanks to the cabin layout.

Thanks to the aircraft’s young age, the cabin was as spotless as any aircraft can ever be. The warm colour palette and upholstery are immediately recognisable in WY’s premium class, returning a luxurious sense of modernity.

At my seat, I found the bedding kit, a bottle of water, and the noise-cancelling headphones. After receiving a hot towel, a welcome drink was served, and I opted for a glass of lemon mint and champagne to celebrate this special occasion. Following the welcome drink, Omani coffee and dates were offered just before take-off, a gesture I always look forward to on board WY.

We took off slightly behind schedule, set to arrive at AMS almost on time. The business class cabin would be complete today, with C-tier executives from WY joining the inaugural flight to attend business in the Netherlands.

An Amouage-branded amenity kit was handed out in business class. This includes high-quality products from the Omani firm, including a perfume sample, which I particularly appreciated. Additional amenities can be found in the lavatories, including toothbrushes, moisturizing creams, and face mists. 

There are three business class lavatories in the cabin, two at the front and one behind the second door, for a ratio of one lavatory for ten passengers.

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In-flight

Service began as soon as we reached flight level FL100, accompanied by an aperitif. I enjoyed chatting with the cabin crew and filming the engines from the second galley, before learning that I could be exceptionally allowed to visit the flight deck in-flight. 

I spent some time in the sleek Dreamliner’s cockpit, talking to the flight crew about their plans for their stay in Amsterdam and their history with Oman Air; I thoroughly enjoyed our avgeek chat 38000 ft in the air.

I then headed back to my seat for lunch, where I opted for the Omani meal choice, consisting of four different appetisers and lamb as the main course. Oman Air’s catering ranks high in my favourites, and this time they outperformed themselves. I concluded with a cheesecake and a glass of Sauternes, before exploring more of the cabin and getting some work done.

The load factor in economy class would not be the highest; however, the inbound flight was set to be far busier, with many passengers connecting to Bangkok. We continued our flight above Iraq, then entered Turkish airspace and finally reached Europe.

An afternoon tea was served before landing, after which Oman Air’s CEO, Con Korfiatis, held a speech on the interphone, celebrating the achievement and thanking the guests on board. The cabin was then prepared as we lined up for runway 18C in Amsterdam Schiphol.

Approach and Landing

Upon approaching, we could appreciate North Holland, Amsterdam’s region, from our windows. It was a surprisingly hot day in the Netherlands, and the heat was noticeable on landing. Before parking at our gate, we were greeted by the water cannon salute, a ritual to celebrate an inaugural flight.

A crowd had gathered at our gate, with oneworld CEO Nat Pieper welcoming Oman Air to Amsterdam. Each passenger received a colorful wooden tulip to commemorate the first flight. We then headed to the oneworld lounge for the second party of the day, where executives from the Omani government, Schiphol, oneworld, and Oman Air held their speeches with the Boeing 787-9 in the background. 

I then had a brief discussion with Nat about oneworld’s strategy, which will be featured in a separate article coming soon to this website. Thanks to Oman Air for hosting me today, and to the entire crew and team who worked relentlessly to organize the inaugural event and oneworld transition.