Aircraft

Middle Eastern carrier Oman Air has taken delivery of the first of seven ordered Airbus A330s as the airline looks to expand its international network.

Acquired through a lease agreement with Dublin-based AWAS, the A330-200 is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and is configured with 20 business-class and 196 economy-class seats.

While Oman Air has been using two A330s in its fleet, leased from India's Jet Airways, the new twin-jet is the first in a batch ordered by the carrier in 2007.

"Together with the opening of new routes to Frankfurt later this month, and Munich, Paris, Maldives and Colombo next month, these new aircraft are confirmation of Oman Air's position as a major international airline," says the carrier.

By the end of this year, Oman Air's fleet will feature two A330-200s and two A330-300s. During 2010-11, the airline will take an extra three A330-300s. The A330 fleet is being fitted with Thales' TopSeries in-flight entertainment system.