Oman Air (WY, Muscat) will phase out its fleet of ATR - Avions de Transport Régional (EVX, Toulouse Blagnac) turboprops and Embraer (EMB, São José dos Campos Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf) Regional Jets as it transitions to a fleet denominated by Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) and Boeing (BOE, Washington National) machinery.
Airline CEO Paul Gregorowitsch told CAPA in an interview earlier this month that his airline's fleet of two ATR42-500s, currently used on domestic flights to Khasab would be withdrawn by the end of the current quarter while its fleet of four E175s will be gone either by late 2015 or early 2016. The Brazilian jets are used on flights to Salalah and Sohar domestically and Abu Dhabi International, Bahrain International, and Dubai International regionally.
With their departure, the routes will be upgraded to B737 equipment over the next year or so.
According to Gregorowitsch, the Omani national carrier had considered expanding both fleets in a bid to improve their economical viability but ultimately decided in favour of eliminating them altogether.
