Tag Archives: Muscat

Shangri-La Al Husn, Muscat announces the newest addition to Oman’s diverse culinary scene, the opening of contemporary Indian restaurant Aangan by Rohit Ghai. A sophisticated dining destination with a fresh take on Indian cuisine, critically acclaimed Chef Rohit Ghai has curated an innovative menu inspired by his personal and professional culinary experiences from across the globe. Chef Ghai is renowned for earning upmarket London restaurant Jamavar a Michelin Star in under a year, the first ever Indian chef to achieve such an accolade in the UK. Rohit Ghai has become one of the culinary world’s most in-demand chefs after a hugely successful decade on the London restaurant scene. With his award-winning skills attracting international praise, Shangri-La Al Husn is delighted to welcome critically acclaimed Rohit Ghai and his esteemed team of chefs to the city of Muscat. Aangan meaning courtyard in English, is referred to as a warm and welcoming dining space where food is shared and enjoyed with family and friends. Complete with an alfresco terrace, Aangan majestically overlooks the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Oman. Taking inspiration from Oman’s heritage and India’s homeland, soaring ceilings and artistic archways create a magnificent sense of place. Guests enter the dining area through the grand double doors flanked with bold blue drapes, inviting diners to enter another world and enjoy the heartfelt hospitality Shangri-La is renowned for. The extensive menu designed to share; allows diners to mix and match dishes to tease and tantalise the palate. Chef Ghai has taken a contemporary approach to traditional Indian cuisine and has created dishes that burst with flavour. Dishes include an Aloo Tikki, one of the most well-known street food dishes in India …

Embassy of India, Muscat has informed that the Government of the Sultanate of Oman has added Covaxin to the approved list of COVID-19 vaccines for travel to Oman. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notification on 27th October regarding this. All passengers from India who have received two doses of Covaxin at least 14 days before the estimated arrival date will now be able to travel to Oman without the requirement of quarantine. All other COVID-19 related requirements/conditions, such as pre-arrival RT-PCR test shall be applicable for such passengers. This notification will significantly ease travel to Oman for Indian nationals who have taken Covaxin, Passengers, who have taken AstraZeneca/Covishield are already permitted to travel to Oman without quarantine.

GoAir further expands its international footprint with the launch of direct flights on Kannur–Abu Dhabi–Kannur route effective March 1, 2019. The airline will operate four direct flight services per week between the destinations with bookings now open at an all-inclusive one way fare starting from Rs 6099. This sector will further strengthen the airline’s growing international network to the Gulf and travellers will now have the opportunity to experience affordable travel experience that GoAir is acknowledged with. Speaking on the occasion, Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, GoAir said, “Commercial and cultural links between India and UAE are flourishing and GoAir is committed to contribute in facilitating and enhancing the growth of trade and the strong demand for tourism. Kannur, an incredibly beautiful part of India, is now accessible from Abu Dhabi with direct flights and an affordable and convenient travel option.” Recently GoAir announced international operations out of Kannur to Muscat. GoAir will operate three direct flight services per week between Kannur–Muscat–Kannur effective February 28, 2019. On the domestic front, GoAir currently connects Kannur to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

EbixCash World Money airport forex counters has been inaugurated at the arrival and departure terminals at Kannur International Airport in the presence of Minister of Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu; Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan; Minister of Industries, Sports and Youth Affairs, EP Jayarajan; Minister of Ports, Kadakampally Surendran; Minister of Transport, AK Saseendran; Minister of Water Resources, K Krishnankutty; and KIAL MD, V Thulasidas among other senior central and state government officials, and industry leaders. EbixCash World Money will offer passengers flying in and out of the city, foreign exchange at competitive rates along with a host of other products such as travellers’ cheques, multi-currency prepaid cards and travel insurance. Commenting on the launch, T C Guruprasad, Managing Director, EbixCash WorldMoney said, “Kannur is a fast-growing business and tourism destination with Wayanad and Coorg being in close proximity. Besides being the district headquarters, it offers a mix of beaches, forts and museums. A large number of international flights also offer direct connectivity from Middle East destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat, Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait, making it a strategic location for us to offer our forex and travel services. We currently have six branches and nine airport forex counters in Kerala.” Spread about 2,000 acres, the Kannur Airport is the newest addition to India’s international airport portfolio. The airport is expected to serve more than one million passengers annually with passenger traffic estimated to increase five-fold by 2025.    

Oman Air has deployed the new Boeing 737 MAX on its recently launched Delhi-Muscat route. The new B737 MAX is equipped with 12 new Business Class seats with large 17-inch touch screen monitors and all the amenities needed for the busy road warrior such as individual power and USB points. The 150 seat Economy Class cabin will also undergo a significant refresh with new interiors, 10.2-inch Thales Gen V touch-screen monitors, high power USB outlets for each triple seats and individual USB outlets for every guest. H.E. Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Chairman, Oman Air, said, “The Boeing 737 MAX is at the forefront of aviation technology and amongst the most efficient planes in the sky today. Oman Air has put an order of 30 MAX aircraft and this is the first aircraft delivery of this order.”

IndiGo has announced Sharjah as its sixth international destination in its schedule. It also introduces new flights to the existing Muscat network. The new schedule sees introduction of new daily non-stop flights on Sharjah-Kozhikode, Muscat-Kozhikode effective March 20th 2017 and Sharjah Thiruvananthapuram effective 8 April, 2017. Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo, said, “We are extremely pleased to expand our international network with Sharjah and an additional connection between Muscat and Kozhikode. Middle-East has been an important market for IndiGo and expanding operations to Sharjah and Muscat is a testament to the growing demand from the sector. We are hopeful that these new flights will prove to be immensely popular amongst flyers.”

IndiGo has introduced a new flight connecting Chennai with Muscat, effective December 15, 2016. IndiGo will be offering introductory fare of Rs 7999, all-inclusive one way from Chennai. The introduction of the new daily service will further strengthen IndiGo’s presence in the Gulf with 16 daily flights, catering to the large number of Indians in the Gulf. The new service from the city will complement the airline’s existing daily Gulf operations to Muscat and Dubai from several cities in India. Elaborating on the new flight launch, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce the new daily and direct flight between India and Oman, and specifically, between Chennai and Muscat. It is an indication of the strong demand on this sector. IndiGo has established itself as a prestigious brand on account of the warmth of its service and quality of its in-flight product and we are confident that this daily service would also prove equally popular with our flyers. Expanding operations on these routes are in line with our growth strategy outlined for Oman.”

In a bid to expand its India portfolio, Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO, Oman Air, said that Oman Air wants to increase its weekly flights from the current 126 from Muscat to 175 weekly flights by 2018. He said, “We currently fly double daily flights to six out of the 11 destinations in India with 21,147 seats. Our current bilateral agreement allows us only so much. If we are allowed more, we will opt to go triple daily to these six same cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad as our load factors are already close to 90 per cent thanks to the travel trade.” Gregorowitsch was visiting Mumbai to talk about Oman’s national carrier’s growth, strategy and expansion plans. The airline also hosted its agent partners for a networking and Iftar party. The airline celebrates 23 years of its India operations.

With effect from March 21, 2016, Jet Airways will launch a new daily flight between Delhi and Muscat, Oman, at fares starting Rs 15, 782. The addition of this new flight from the airline’s strategic hub in Delhi will further strengthen the airline’s growing international network and enhance flight connectivity from Northern India, SAARC and ASEAN and to the Gulf region. India and Oman are linked by historical maritime trade linkages and the important role of the Indian expatriate community in the development of Oman. With the launch of the new flight, Jet Airways will operate a total of four daily flights between India and Muscat. This includes flights from Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Gaurang Shetty, Senior Vice-President, Commercial, Jet Airways, said, “It is indeed a proud moment for us at Jet Airways to launch our maiden international flight between Delhi and Muscat. This is a significant milestone for enhancing the strong ties between India and the Sultanate of Oman. With the launch of this flight, Jet Airways guests from Northern India, SAARC and ASEAN regions will have the option of travelling to Oman via Delhi.” The airline will deploy a Boeing 737-800 aircraft on these new services, offering Premiere and Economy guests an in-flight product that is among the best in its class, warm service, as well as delectable cuisine and convenient schedules.