Oman Air officially became the 15th member of the OneWorld alliance today. The flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman is the second airline in the Middle East to enter the alliance, joining Qatar Airways.
Oman Air Becomes the 15th Member of OneWorld
While the carrier joined the alliance on June 30, OneWorld frequent flyers will have to wait a day before unlocking access to the carrier’s network. Beginning July 1, 2025, customers can access an extended network of destinations across Oman Air’s route map, this includes the carrier’s new non-stop route between Muscat (MCT) and Amsterdam (AMS).
Nat Piper, Chief Executive Officer of OneWorld, said this about the new member airline:
“We are proud to welcome Oman Air to the OneWorld family. Oman Air brings valuable strategic reach and award-winning product and service to the alliance. This partnership opens up exciting new connections for our customers, particularly across the Gulf and South Asia, and reinforces OneWorld’s position as the premium alliance for international travelers.”
Con Korfiatis, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, added:
“Oman Air is honored to be joining the OneWorld alliance, whose members and global footprint represent the best of what international travelers want to experience. We are thrilled to be able to welcome OneWorld customers to the Sultanate of Oman to experience our unique culture, stunning mountain excursions, beautiful beaches, and, above all, the warm hospitality of the Omani people.”
With Oman Air joining the OneWorld alliance, its elite passengers will gain access to Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby benefits which include earning and redeeming miles, earning status points, priority check-in and boarding and lounge access on all airlines across the alliance. This includes access to a network of almost 700 airport lounges around the globe for Emerald and Sapphire members.
While it is always fun to see alliances add new airlines, I doubt this will have any major impact for exiting OneWorld elites. For the most part, Qatar Airways covers the region extremely well and has more connectivity as a whole. In my opinion, the addition of Fiji Airways was more significant to the alliance than Oman Air.
Summary
Oman Air became the fifteenth member of the OneWorld alliance earlier today. The flag carrier of Oman is the second airline from the Middle East to be admitted to the alliance after Qatar Airways was added in 2013. While it is always exciting to see new airlines added to a global alliance, this addition doesn’t move the needle much for me.