SalamAir launches nonstop Chattogram-Salalah service

Dhaka: Omani low-cost carrier SalamAir launched direct flights from Chattogram to Salalah in southern Oman, with the inaugural flight departing Shah Amanat International Airport at 10:55 pm on October 28.

The service eliminates the need to transit through Muscat. The scheduled travel time on the new route is 6 hours 20 minutes, compared to 10 to 12 hours or more with the transit, according to Rizwanul Islam, SalamAir’s Chattogram manager.

The airline will initially operate two weekly flights on the route with Airbus A320 family aircraft and plans to increase frequency if passenger demand grows.

SalamAir previously operated 14 weekly flights between Chattogram and Oman, all to Muscat. Two of them now go to Salalah, while the other 12 remain unchanged.

Salalah is the capital of Oman's Dhofar Governorate and is home to many Bangladeshi expatriates. They work in construction, agriculture, plantation management, fruit and vegetable trade, fisheries, and factories in the Salalah Free Zone. Many of them come from Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, and Noakhali.

Before the new service, many flew via Chattogram or Dhaka to Muscat before reaching Salalah. The airline launched the route with these workers in mind.

Shahnaz Alam, SalamAir's Airport Services Manager at Chattogram, said the carrier has made Salalah a new hub, with plans to add new destinations from the city, including Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Kozhikode in India.

Fares start at BDT 39,294, which includes a 5-kilogram cabin baggage allowance. A BDT 41,534 package adds 15 kilograms of checked baggage, while a BDT 42,500 package offers 20 kilograms of checked baggage.