Oman Air Swaps First Class for ‘Higher-Tier Business’ Seats

Skift Take

First class has been ‘retiring’ from international routes across the industry, Oman Air is the latest, despite its regional neighbors doubling down on the segment.

Josh Corder

Oman Air is replacing its first-class cabin for specific routes, joining a growing list of carriers to do so. The replacement is called “Business Studio” and will initially feature on London and Bangkok routes.

The national carrier said in a release the new category will be more affordable than first class and stand as a “higher tier” of business class. The class still features lie-flat seats and privacy walls.

“The traditional First Class experience has seen diminished demand,” said Oman Air CEO Con Korfiatis. “After careful analysis and benchmarking against industry standards, we decided to retire the product. Moreover, we’re offering it all at a more competitive price point.”

The airline has yet to reveal the prices of the seats, which will become available to customers on September 9.

First Class on Other Airlines

Other Middle East carriers have flip-flopped on whether to retire first-class or not. Qatar Airways had said it would remove first-class from future long-haul flights June last year before the airline U-turned on the decision in March.

Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer told Skift last month the carrier is facing delays in launching its new first-class product due to “problems in the supply chain, [and] problems with certification.”

Dubai’s Emirates said last year first class is still “hugely important.“

Saudi Arabia’s soon-to-be-launched carrier Riyadh Air has said it would not have a first class. “First class for many international carriers is an egotistical charitable act, which is not commercially sustainable,” Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas had said at the Skift Global Forum East in Dubai last year. 

In recent years carriers including LATAM, Malaysia Airlines and South African Airways have withdrawn their international first class products.

This has resulted in only a few long-haul carriers continuing to invest in a genuine first-class cabin. These include Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Air France, and Japan Airlines, though they provide this service only on select routes.

The broader concept remains popular with some U.S. domestic operators. In March, American Airlines announced it would be ramping up its domestic first class offering.