Oman Air will expand its flight operations through Thailand with the use of larger-capacity aircraft and add more frequencies to meet the surge in traffic demand.

The flag carrier of Oman plans to use brand-new Airbus A330 series jetliners on its Bangkok-Muscat routes when they are delivered in the second quarter of next year to replace the smaller A310-300 jets currently in service.

When the A330s arrive, Oman Air will increase the flight frequency between Bangkok and the Omani capital Muscat from six per week to daily.

It wants to increase that frequency to 14 a week once they receive more aircraft, according to Bennet Stephens, the carrier's Thailand manager.

The seven new Airbus A330s will feature live TV programmes across multiple regions at 35,000 feet.

The increase in capacity is in response to rising passenger demand, particularly from Muscat, which already prompted the airline to increase frequency on the city-pair to six flights a week in July from five before. Oman Air also switched aircraft from 141-seat Boeing 737-800s to Airbus A310-300s with 194 seats.

Mr Stephens said passenger demand on the route had been on the rise since Oman Air began flying the route on Nov 29 last year with the cabin factor running at around 80%.

The state-owned airline has carried almost 80,000 passengers on the route and that number is likely to cross 100,000 by the end of this year. Last year, 38,000 Omanis visited Thailand.

Thailand's political standoff and global economic turmoil have not stopped Bangkok-Muscat traffic from growing, he said.

Increasing numbers of Omanis are coming here for medical services, accounting for 45% of Oman Air's passengers on the routes, in addition to sightseeing and leisure activities.

Meanwhile, the airline is set to reduce its fuel surcharge on the route to US$95 per leg from $115 in line with the fall in fuel prices, starting on Oct 26.

Oman Air opened its new office at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday to support its expanding operation in Thailand.