Oman Air is planning to launch flights to Dammam in Saudi Arabia on 1 September.

The flights to Dammam, in the kingdom’s eastern province, will be operated daily.

“Saudi Arabia is a very important market for Oman Air and with the launch of our third service to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah we are confident of further reinforcing our position within the GCC region,” says Peter Hill, chief executive of Oman Air.

In April, the carrier said it was planning on launching eight new routes in 2010, including Milan, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Dar es Salaam, Islamabad, Lahore and Al-Ain and Ras al-Khaimah in the UAE (MEED 4:4:10).

Oman Air carried 2.4 million passengers in 2009, a 19 per cent increase from the previous year and also added 28 per cent capacity with the addition of five Boeing 737 aircraft and four wide-body aircraft.