Salam Air Launches First Direct Flights to Bishkek and Osh in Kyrgyzstan

As part of its network expansion plans, Sultanate’s fastest-growing value-for-money airline SalamAir announced the launch of flight services to Bishkek and Osh in Kyrgyzstan. The Muscat-Bishkek and Muscat-Osh direct routes mark SalamAir’s first entry into the Kyrgyzstan market. 

SalamAir will operate one flight a week to Osh every Monday, departing Muscat at 8:25 local time and arriving at the destination at 14:20 local time. The flight will depart Osh on Friday at 15:05 local time arriving in Muscat at 17:35 local time. 

The flight to Bishkek will leave every Tuesday from Muscat at 18.00 local time arriving at the destination at 0:10 local time. The flight will depart Bishkek on Wednesday at 0:55 local time arriving in Muscat at 3:35 local time. 

Both routes will have two flights a week starting 1st January 2022.

Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said, “We are pleased to launch direct flights between Oman and Kyrgyzstan. We look forward to serving customers travelling to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan and Osh, the oldest city in Kyrgyzstan. We have been operating to Osh as a charter flight for the past two months and now we see the opportunity to further enhance the route by increasing the frequencies and make it a scheduled flight. We will market Oman as a winter destination in Kyrgystan to attract tourist and business opportunities with direct flights, further we plan to supplement the route with the export and import of cargo. In line with our international expansion strategy, this is yet another big milestone for us. The network expansion is in line with our vision to expand our footprint in strategic markets and to grow our business profitably and meet Oman Vision 2040. We are delighted to announce these new routes which allow us to offer our customers an even wider range of destinations to visit. We expect the new routes to help attract more visitors and business travelers to the Muscat and to other destinations within our network.”

With a population of over 6.5 million Kyrgyzstan has a growing adventure travel and eco-tourism sector. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan has something to offer every Omani tourist, from the adventure seeker to the cultural enthusiast. Kyrgyzstan is well known for its white peaks, green grasslands, flowing mountain rivers, and tranquil lakes. By far the biggest city and as well as the capital of Kyrgyzstan Bishkek is famous for its architecture and the stunning setting of the Tian Shan mountains. Osh, the second-largest city is Osh is estimated to be over 3,000 years old.  Situated in Southern Kyrgyzstan's fertile Fergana Valley, Osh has operated for three millennia as an important city in Central Asia welcoming travelers from across the world. From its time as a Silk Road trading hub, Osh has matured into a lively, multicultural city with over 80 ethnicities whose intriguing past lives on in the city's active bazaars, culinary traditions, and people. 

For visitors from Kyrgyzstan to the Sultanate, Oman is an idyllic adventure destination with varied options for abseiling, trekking, rafting, scuba diving, canyoning, hiking, jet skiing and other outdoor activities. Oman has been charming tourists from across the world because of the exclusivity of tourism options it offers and the fact that a variety of tourist attractions are available just hours away from each other. Its varied climate with a coastline of over 3000 kms is an added blessing. The splendour of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the turquoise water in Sur beaches, the stunning shades of Muttrah Souq, the breath-taking mountains of Jebel Al Akhdar, the top-notch shows at the Royal Opera House Muscat, the significant cave chamber in Majlis Al Jinn, spectacular Fjords of Musandam, the endless Wahiba Sands – you can find the depth of Oman in tourist spots such as these and more. Embodying the country’s luxuriant culture, and captivating natural beauty each of tourist attraction in Oman is an enigmatic experience.

SalamAir meets the nation's growing demand for affordable travel options and aims to generate further opportunities for employment and business creation in various Oman sectors. In a short span, SalamAir has achieved growth in its operations and has expanded its reach across the region serving customers across a cross-section of society. This being the first direct link to Kyrgyzstan; SalamAir will continue to connect new and under-served markets by flying to more destinations in Central Asia.

SalamAir flights are now open for sale through SalamAir.com, its call centers and appointed travel agents. All operations are subject to strict adherence to the travel mandate issued by the civil aviation authorities and other COVID-19 related guidelines issued by respective authorities. 

To enhance the overall user experience for travelers during the last few months, SalamAir has been engaged in improving its online check-in, website, booking engine and travel agent portals. The airline has also been involved in additional training of ground operations and handling in addition to cross-functional training aspects to boost productivity and readiness. Showcasing safety as its first priority, SalamAir has put in place a stringent set of measures to ensure a high-quality sanitation process. Its new fleet is being used right now, which has leather seats that are non-porous and easy to disinfect. In addition, every surface in the aircraft is disinfected using approved cleaning agents, be it the doors, windows, seats, foldable tables, baggage cabins, or seat hand rests.

SalamAir flies to domestic destinations including Muscat, Salalah, Suhar and international destinations to Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Shiraz, Istanbul, Alexandria, Khartoum, Multan, Sialkot, Karachi, Dhaka, Chattogram, Calicut, Jaipur, Trivandrum, and Lucknow.