Oman Air Debuts New Business Studio Seat, Retires First Class

Updated: August 21, 2024, 11:06am CDT

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Oman Air Retiring First Class Product
Booking Oman Air Flights
Final Thoughts

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The swanky Middle East airline Oman Air is back with some big news. It has debuted a brand new business studio suite on several routes, which will replace its first-class seats.

Let’s take a look at the news — and how you can book the new business class seat.

Oman Air Retiring First Class Product

Oman Air announced that it would retire its first-class product and will unveil a “Business Studio” suite on its routes from Muscat (MCT) to Bangkok (BKK) and London (LHR).

The cabin is still arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration and offers lie-flat seats, a privacy door, a large IFE (inflight entertainment system), free Wi-Fi, and à la carte meals. The seats will be available for booking beginning September 9, 2024.

Oman Air explained that passenger feedback and “diminished demand” for first class prompted a shift to a 2-cabin offering. The airline flies the Boeing 787-9 for long-haul flights.

“This decision allows us to focus on delivering an exceptional Business Class experience that better meets modern traveler expectations and is more closely aligned with the demographics targeted by the national tourism objectives,” said CEO Con Korfiatis.

Oman Air 787 Business Class — Oman Air Apex business class seat: Image Credit: Greg Stone

Booking Oman Air Flights

If you aren’t familiar with Oman Air, it is Oman’s flag carrier based in Muscat.

The airline serves 40+ destinations, primarily in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Notably, Oman Air does not fly to any U.S. destinations, so if you want to fly on the airline, you’ll have to connect in another city like Doha (DOH).

But don’t let that discourage you. While it is a smaller airline than neighbors like Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, we consider Oman Air 1 of the best options in the Middle East. Luckily, you can book Oman Air tickets with points and miles.

That’s because you can book Oman awards with Etihad Guest miles, and there are some fantastic options available. For instance, you can find business class award flights between Muscat and the following destinations for the following prices:

Frankfurt (FRA): 39,000 miles each way
Singapore (SIN): 42,000 miles each way
Paris (CDG): 42,000 miles each way
London: 44,000 miles each way

Bottom Line:

Oman Air is expected to join the Oneworld alliance in the coming months, so booking award flights on the airline should become easier.

Final Thoughts

Oman Air has retired its first class and replaced it with a business class studio suite. This aligns with many long-haul products in recent years, with first class seats being deprioritized for a larger business class cabin. We look forward to checking out the new seats when they launch on September 9.