New Avios award option: Oman Air Asia to Europe from 26,000 miles

Oman Air currently operates daily flights between both Jakarta and Muscat, and 13 weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Muscat.

The rates in this table would also apply if Oman Air were to restart its Singapore – Muscat flights in future.

We are generally seeing good availability for Oman Air flights, especially a few weeks in advance, with 7 Economy Class seats and 2 Business Class seats available for redemption using BA Avios points on many of these services, including all the way to or from Europe.

What about taxes and fees?

BA does add Oman Air’s fuel and carrier-imposed surcharges (YQ and YR) on award tickets, which are charged sector-by-sector and at a higher rate for Business Class than for Economy Class.

Here are some examples of the taxes and fees payable in addition to your Avios points for Oman Air redemptions:

• Jakarta to Muscat: S$68 in Economy / S$99 in Business
• Bangkok to Rome (via Muscat): S$127 in Economy / S$180 in Business

These do sting a little since most of our readers will be interested in flying all the way to or from Europe, adding to the fees somewhat, but they are still nowhere near the levels seen for some carriers like Qatar Airways and Emirates.

What is Oman Air Business Class like?

Oman Air’s Boeing 787s feature the excellent (and relatively rare) Apex Suite in Business Class, one of the largest seats on the market in this cabin, also found on Gulf Air and Japan Airlines.

On paper, with a 2-2-2 layout, it seems strange that the design wins such praise, but the key to this one is a clever ‘staggered’ arrangement at the window seats.

This allows direct aisle access for the window passenger (and no one climbing over the aisle passenger at the window pairs), the primary drawback for older 2-2-2 configurations.

We had the opportunity to review this product on Oman Air back in 2019 on a flight from Muscat to Jakarta.

I still recall the Arabic Mezze starter I enjoyed for lunch on this flight – one of the best I’ve had in the air.

Do note however that Oman Air uses Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft on some of its Asia flights, especially on the Kuala Lumpur – Muscat and Phuket – Muscat routes.

These feature 12 of the Collins Aerospace AirRest model, a ‘shell’ cradle-seat design in a 2-2 layout, meaning only half the seats benefit from direct aisle access.

Although these seats don’t go fully flat and are therefore more suited to shorter daytime flights, thankfully there is a decent-sized privacy divider between them, in case you are seated alongside a stranger.

Seat width is 20 inches with a row pitch of 46.6 inches, and each seat is equipped with a 17-inch HD touchscreen in-flight entertainment system, but do also note that unlike Oman Air’s Boeing 787s, there is no Wi-Fi on these smaller aircraft – a surprising omission.

This also works for Qatar Airways (and other) Avios

If you’re holding an Avios points balance in the Qatar Airways Privilege Club programme but not in British Airways Avios points, you can search and book Oman Air awards via the Qatar portal. However, Qatar is charging a lot more Avios points for redemption – making it a useless option – but don’t worry.

BA Avios and QR Avios are interchangeable, with instant, fee-free and fully reversible online transfers of any amount you like between the two, as often as you wish.

On a similar note, you may recall how we recently highlighted that you can now secure Finnair Business Class to Europe using only 62,500 BA Avios + S$87, and take advantage of fuel-surcharge-free intra-Asia awards on Cathay Pacific using as few as 9,000 Avios.

The currency is also your cheapest way by far to redeem Virgin Australia flights, at rates far lower than KrisFlyer charges, again thanks to the Qatar Airways partnership.

Earning Avios in Singapore

You can transfer credit card points into two Avios frequent flyer programmes from the following banks in Singapore.

Singapore Bank to Avios transfer partners

= Good transfer ratio
= Lousy transfer ratio

Do note that HSBC transfers to Qatar Privilege Club at a poorer rate than it does to other programmes, while the same issue affects OCBC transfers to British Airways Executive Club Avios. Avoid these options, and remember BA to QR Avios transfers are free and instant (HSBC take note!).

It’s also possible to buy Avios points relatively cheaply throughout the year, from as little as 1.5 Singapore cents each, with recent deals from Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Will Oman Air’s own FFP adopt Avios points?

Oman Air appears to be strongly considering a major overhaul of its Sindbad frequent flyer programme, with Chief Commercial Officer Mike Rutter hinting at a new loyalty currency that “will have wider use than the currency within the current system”.

This suggests the airline may adopt a third-party currency to replace its existing Sindbad miles, with Avios being the most likely candidate given its deep integration within the Oneworld alliance. Rhys at Head for Points has been reporting on this possible development, and his analysis suggests this would be a logical strategic move for the airline.

This would mirror Qatar Airways’ transition from Qmiles to Avios, which has arguably helped transform Privilege Club into a truly global frequent flyer programme.

For Oman Air, adopting Avios would provide instant access to an established network of airline and hotel partners, addressing the airline’s challenge of limited reach as a relatively small carrier with just over 40 aircraft. Let’s see what happens in the coming months.

Will Oman Air return to Singapore?

Oman Air previously operated daily Airbus A330 flights between Muscat and Singapore – between March 2015 and May 2017.

Back in December last year, Executive Traveller reported on a potential return for the airline to Changi from September 2025.

However, these plans have not come to fruition, leaving travellers still waiting for the return of direct connectivity between Oman’s capital and the Lion City.

Given Oman Air’s ongoing fleet optimisation and route network adjustments, the Singapore service remains a possibility for future consideration, particularly as a strong Oneworld hub in the region.

The addition of Oman Air to the Oneworld redemption network provides a welcome new option for travellers looking to connect from Asia to Europe via Muscat.

While the Avios pricing isn’t groundbreaking, the Bangkok and Phuket routes offer decent value at 26,000 Avios in Economy and 77,500 Avios in Business Class to European destinations like Rome and Istanbul.

The excellent Apex Suite Business Class product makes these redemptions particularly attractive for those willing to route via Thailand, or even spend a few days there at the start or end of their trip.

With Oman Air still finding its feet as Oneworld’s newest member, there’s potential for even better integration ahead. The airline’s rumoured consideration of adopting Avios points as its own loyalty currency could further enhance the partnership, while the possibility of restored Singapore flights would significantly improve connectivity options for our readers in future.

For now, Oman Air represents a solid addition to the BA Avios list – not revolutionary, but offering good award availability and a quality product that’s worth considering for your next Asia-Europe journey, especially if you’re flexible with routing via Bangkok or Phuket and other award options like KrisFlyer are unavailable on your preferred dates.

(Cover Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock)