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MUSCAT — Oman Air has announced the appointment of Nasser Al Sharji as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 September 2026, placing an experienced Omani executive at the helm of the Sultanate’s national carrier as it enters an important new phase of transformation, international growth and support for Oman’s expanding tourism ambitions.
The appointment represents more than a change of leadership. It brings to Oman Air an executive whose career has crossed aviation, logistics, energy and government services, combining operational experience with a record of managing major organizations and transformation programs.
With more than 25 years of executive leadership, operational excellence and business transformation experience, Al Sharji has held senior positions at several of Oman’s most important organizations, including ASYAD Group, OQ and Nama Water Services. Across those roles, he has been involved in major national projects and organizational transformation initiatives.
His aviation credentials are particularly relevant to the task ahead. Most recently, Al Sharji served as Chief Executive Officer of Transom Handling and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Oman Airports Management Company, giving him direct exposure to the operational ecosystem surrounding airlines, airports, passengers and ground services.
He holds an Executive MBA and has also served as a board member and chairman of various committees across multiple sectors.
The breadth of that experience gives Al Sharji an unusually wide perspective as he assumes responsibility for a national airline whose role extends far beyond transporting passengers. Oman Air is an international ambassador for the Sultanate, a contributor to tourism and trade, a strategic link between Oman and major global markets, and often the first introduction an international visitor receives to Omani hospitality.
Leadership for Oman Air’s Next Phase
Commenting on the appointment, His Excellency Saeed Al Mawali, Chairman of Oman Air, highlighted Al Sharji’s leadership credentials and experience in transformation.
“Nasser brings extensive leadership experience, a strong understanding of the aviation sector and a proven track record of leading organizations through transformation and change,” Al Mawali said in the announcement.
“We are confident that, under his leadership, Oman Air will continue to build on the significant progress achieved in recent years and further strengthen its position as Oman’s national carrier.” For Al Sharji, the opportunity is substantial.
He inherits an airline that has already undergone significant restructuring and is increasingly focused on commercial discipline, operational efficiency, customer experience and ensuring that its network creates value not only for the airline but for Oman itself.
The challenge now will be to convert those gains into a sustainable long-term platform — while retaining the distinctive Omani identity that separates Oman Air from many larger competitors.
Building on the Transformation Led by Con Korfiatis
The leadership transition also recognises the contribution of outgoing Chief Executive Officer Con Korfiatis, who has led Oman Air since May 2024.
During his tenure, Oman Air pursued one of the most significant transformation programs in its history, with a stronger emphasis on financial sustainability, network optimization, efficiency and organizational effectiveness.
The results have become increasingly visible.
Oman Air reported carrying 5.8 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 8% from 2024 and 57% from 2022. Particularly significant for Oman’s wider economy was the composition of that traffic: 64% of passengers were point-to-point travelers coming directly into Oman, with that segment growing 34% year-on-year. That is an important distinction.
Rather than measuring success purely by the number of passengers connecting through Muscat to another country, Oman Air has increasingly emphasized bringing travelers into Oman — people who stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, visit attractions, hire guides and vehicles, shop in local businesses and contribute directly to the tourism economy.
Korfiatis will continue to support the airline as Advisor to the CEO, providing continuity and guidance during the transition.
This arrangement gives Al Sharji an opportunity to combine continuity with a new phase of leadership: maintaining the commercial discipline of the transformation program while adding his own experience in Omani national organizations and the aviation sector.
From a Regional Airline to Oman’s Global Ambassador
Oman Air’s story stretches back more than three decades.
The airline commenced operations in 1993, initially serving important domestic and regional routes before developing into an international carrier connecting Muscat with cities across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Over those years, the airline has become closely associated with the development of Muscat as an international aviation gateway. But Oman Air has always occupied a somewhat different position from the Gulf’s largest airlines.
Its purpose is not simply to compete for connecting traffic between continents. The carrier also serves as a strategic instrument for introducing international visitors to Oman and supporting the Sultanate’s tourism, commercial and investment ambitions.
That strategy has become even more visible recently.
Oman Air joined the oneworld alliance in June 2025, dramatically extending the international connectivity available to its passengers through the alliance network.
During 2026, the airline continued expanding its own network. In July alone, it launched five routes: Singapore, Sochi, Tashkent, Dubai–Salalah and Abu Dhabi, taking its network to 49 destinationsat that point.
The strategy creates an increasingly powerful proposition: connect more international markets to Oman while using global partnerships to give Oman Air customers access far beyond the destinations served directly by the airline.
A Modern Fleet for a New Era
Aircraft will be central to the next chapter under Al Sharji.
Oman Air completed an important fleet investment phase in February 2026 with the arrival of another Boeing 737 MAX 8, bringing its total fleet to 33 aircraft. The delivery was part of seven Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft received over the preceding 12 months.
The fleet strategy is built around two complementary missions.
For long-haul flying, the Boeing 787 Dreamlinerprovides the range and passenger experience required to connect Muscat with major international markets. Oman Air operates both 787-8 and 787-9 variants. The 787-9 can operate missions exceeding 14,000 kilometers in one of the airline’s configurations, making it a highly capable platform for long-distance expansion.
For short- and medium-haul markets, the Boeing 737 MAX 8provides greater fuel efficiency and modern technology while serving the dense regional network surrounding Oman. Oman Air lists a maximum range of approximately 6,570 kilometers for the aircraft.
The significance of fleet renewal is not merely having newer aircraft. More efficient aircraft can reduce fuel consumption and emissions per journey, lower operating costs and allow an airline to match aircraft capacity more closely with passenger demand. And another major fleet chapter is already on the horizon.
Oman Air has announced that six new widebody aircraft are scheduled to join its fleet from mid-2028, adding long-haul capacity and supporting stronger global connectivity.
For the incoming CEO, decisions about how those aircraft are deployed — which markets receive additional capacity, which new destinations become viable, and how Muscat develops as both a destination and connecting hub — could help shape Oman Air well into the 2030s.
Oman Air Is Selling More Than an Airline Seat
Perhaps the greatest opportunity facing Al Sharji is something Oman possesses naturally: the destination itself.
Oman does not need to become another Gulf destination. Its competitive advantage is precisely that it is different.
Across the Gulf, travelers can find extraordinary modern cities, luxury hotels, shopping, entertainment and ambitious architecture. Oman complements the region with another kind of experience — one centred strongly on landscape, heritage, space, adventure and an understated sense of authenticity.
Few destinations in the region allow a visitor to move so naturally between rugged mountains, ancient forts, desert landscapes, wadis, fishing villages, long beaches and modern luxury resorts.
That diversity gives Oman Air something immensely valuable: a destination with a powerful story behind the ticket.
Muscat: A Capital With Its Own Character
Muscat immediately establishes that distinction.
Rather than being defined primarily by a skyline of super-tall towers, the Omani capital stretches between mountains and the sea, combining traditional architecture with contemporary infrastructure.
Visitors can explore Muttrah and its waterfront, traditional souqs, museums, forts and cultural institutions, while resorts and beaches sit within easy reach of the city.
Oman’s official tourism platform describes Muscat as a place where ancient castles and palaces coexist with modern cultural institutions including the Royal Opera House and National Museum, alongside traditional souqs, historic seafront promenades, marinas and coastal escapes.
This gives Muscat an atmosphere quite distinct from many other major Gulf cities.
Its attraction lies not in trying to overpower the visitor, but in allowing the landscape, architecture, sea and culture to remain visible.
Mountains, Canyons, Wadis and Desert
Beyond Muscat, Oman becomes even more distinctive.
The Hajar Mountains rise dramatically across northern Oman, providing trekking, mountain villages, spectacular viewpoints and cooler high-altitude escapes. Jebel Shams and Jebel Akhdar have become increasingly important elements of Oman’s adventure and luxury-tourism offering.
Official tourism material highlights a landscape where travelers can move between desert dunes, the sea, mountain ranges, seasonal wadis, oases and fertile agricultural areas.
That geographical variety means Oman can appeal simultaneously to luxury travellers, hikers, divers, road-trip enthusiasts, cultural tourists, families and visitors seeking quieter nature-based experiences.
And unlike a destination constructed around a single tourism district, much of Oman’s appeal comes from traveling through the country itself.
The journey becomes part of the experience.
Musandam: Where Mountains Fall Into the Sea
At Oman’s northern tip, Musandamoffers another extraordinary landscape.
Here, steep mountains meet calm blue water around the Strait of Hormuz, creating dramatic inlets and isolated coastal scenery.
Visitors can explore the region aboard traditional dhow boats, hike through mountain landscapes, visit historic forts, dive and snorkel, or simply experience the unusual meeting of rock and sea. Oman’s tourism authority highlights mountain trekking, boat tours and diving among Musandam’s signature experiences.
It is a landscape that feels far removed from the conventional image many international travelers have of the Arabian Peninsula.
Salalah: Arabia Turns Green
Then there is Salalah, one of Oman’s greatest tourism assets.
During the annual Khareefseason, generally from June through September, the monsoon transforms parts of Dhofar into an unexpectedly green landscape of mist-covered hills, flowing wadis and seasonal waterfalls.
For travellers accustomed to associating the Arabian Peninsula almost exclusively with dry desert scenery, arriving in green Dhofar can be remarkable.
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