Oman Air
 

Good day all,

Does anyone here on PPRUNE have a email address,or contact persons detail at Oman Air. I have applied through the normal online application system,however I have not received as much as email acknowledgement of my application which I find very strange.

Thank you kindly in advance.
Bianchi

You will only be acknowledged if you are shortlisted or invited for an interview. Thats how it works in the Middle East.

bianchi, apply through westjetaviation or wingjetaviation (same group). You may get an assessement on 28th sept...

Thank you very much for the information. I shall find the West (Wing) jet aviation site and follow there procedure.

Bianchi

My pleasure mate, they assist you in everything (visa, accomodation during assessement, preparation,...) and they give quick reply anytime you have question. I wish you a succes in the process and please, once hired, give us a feedback about your experience. Many thanks in advance!

These guys at wingjet seem like scammers be warned

pfvpnf, could you tell us more about your experience with them or anything you have heard? I also had this impression at the begining but they never have asked money nor anything before the assessement. They just told me that once hired then they will charge you 5000$ for the service. And even you can negociate the term of payment...but I am reallly interested if you have a different story.

Stay out please!!
Not a direct experience but enough in Aviation to understand and stay out from Some new Asia and Indians agencies !!

CANTBEBOTHERED-
Don't take personally but do your homework and you will find many Agencies, more serious, dealing with Oman Pilot Recrutiment-
Can't say you now the all the names cause I really don't remember and don't want to give you wrong informations but check with CTC Aviation just to name one!

CTC weblink Oman Air ? B737 NG Direct Entry First Officers

''Should you be offered a position with the airline, after one month of operation you will be required to pay a placement fee''. In this case find out which one is cheaper and as for the agency it does not matter since assessments are conducted directly by oman air.

They are unprofessional and the wingjet guys don't have a clue, just sounds like a CPL kid who's unemployed on the phone with a fancy website

number 2
 

Meccti aviation can be a good adress for Omanair;

http://www.mecabincrew.com

It does not matter with who or where ultimately it is Oman Air guys conducting assessment.

Oman Air the Airline as compared with its other gulf competitors is 90% the same. The salary could be alittle better and the roster sucks!!! Life style actually for a gulf country is quite good!! much more option of things to do on your day off! and the omani;s them self are calm. Stay away from mecti and the other turkish recruitor. they charge you $4000.USD from you first paycheck. Which will be auto decucted. This money goes to the someone in top management. The average lifespan of a first officer is 2years and capt is 4.5yrs.

Who does CTC pay to?

Is this lifespan related to movement to another company.....or time to command for a first officer...with 3000 hours just curios to know average time to command

From 3 to 7 years to command, depending on how the rules are changing.

Hi Guys

slightly off topic, but just wondering if anyone has any info on living in Oman for expats? Schooling, lifestyle, safety, freedom for women to drive etc, usual expat issues...

Just considering a position there with another outfit, any and all info appreciated, pm if you prefer.

Cheers
fortybelow

I am primarily just lurking as I am exploring ATPL-I options and considering a career change. So I can't comment much on pilot specifics.

That said, my last tour in the military was a post with the American Embassy in Oman. I was there for 3.5 years.

Oman is very calm compared to its neighbors. A lot safer for an expat than most the other countries. Omanis are very laid back and tolerant of expats provided you don't openly insult islam or the Sultan or do something stupid on a religious holiday.

Schools are good but very expensive. However, OmanAir should cover most, if not all the costs. Most the private schools use the British curriculum, with some following Canadian or US curriculums.

The Sultan has instituted some pretty smart policies to maintain order, and genuinely does a good job running the country. Some of the Omanisation policies will drive you crazy, and the Ministry-centric bureaucracies are much as they are in neighboring countries; they will always be an act of futility that tests your patience at every turn.

There are plenty of expats to build a social life with. The Diplomatic community is pretty close knit, and most the Embassies have social clubs that welcome their respective nationalities, if not everyone. The oil business is huge there. Add to it the close formal relations with the UK gov, and there are plenty of expats with whom to socialize. Furthermore, you will genuinely build relationships with the Omanis; they are quite warm and welcoming and I have fostered many life-long friendships.

Life is a bit expensive compared to the US or UK. But pay often compensates for it, and you learn to adept to the local market. Lifestyle is great as pretty much everyone has live-in housekeeping/childcare. With the exception of a couple designated zones, expats are forbidden by law to own property so you will most likely be renting the duration of your stay, and the Omanis certainly know how to gauge the market - I add this as some consider owning vs renting as part of their long-term investment plan when relocating. In most cases, houses are mansions by most standards, and most are ornate. Crime rates are extremely low so you will not worry leaving doors unlocked and letting kids play outside.

As for entertainment, it really depends on what you like to do. Oman is an outdoorsmans paradise. Lots to do for those who enjoy the outdoors, especially adventure outdoors. Not much shopping or nightlife...things are pretty quiet in that regard, and most do weekend trips to Dubai to get your fix if needed. However, there are plenty western hotels and pubs to go have a drink with mates. Furthermore, and I know alcohol is a bit of a taboo discussion for pilots, but you can get a liquor license and buy and own alcohol for personal consumption at home. Entertainment for kids is a bit lacking, with billiards clubs, movie theaters, the mall, and the few playzone type establishments being it. But again, a weekend trip to Dubai to take the kids to Atlantis or another theme park is usually enough to break up the monotony.

Also, regarding your question about your wife driving. Women may drive, and shop, and go to bars, and do pretty much anything a man can do. Deserving woman are praised as business leaders. The Oman government even has some women on their governing council. Lol, you will even find skimpy bikinis on the beaches on occasion. See note below however as it is pertinent to this discussion. On another note, when discussing driving, I am not sure how old your kids are but I know plenty expats who moved to Oman with older teens and the teens were rather dissapointed as the legal driving age in Oman is 18. Kiddos will not be getting their license while in high school there (which isn't a bad thing as one of the negatives about Oman is a high traffic accident/fatality incident rate, something the goverment has been working hard to curb {with some success}).

Note: Most of the advice offered here is specific to the capital city of Muscat. English the the primary spoken language, and you can easily get by without knowing any Arabic. However, as you venture further into the areas of the country not often travelled by westerners, this picture changes. You will be hard pressed to find locals who speak anything other than Arabic, and everything is definitely more as most westerners would picture the Arab world (in terms of culture; not a reference to safety or muslim extremism). Women should definitely wear conservative clothing and a head scarf when traveling to areas not often frequented by expats or tourists. It is still safe, but you will be more cognitively aware of the fact you are an outsider.

I enjoyed my time there and may even reach out to some political and business contacts when the time comes to see if I can get an entry level pilot job with OmanAir.

As for OmanAir itself, a few years ago they had a lot of issues with Omanization and trying to balance wages between locals and expats pushed more than a few expat pilots away. Now-a-days the biggest complaint I hear is lackadaisical, if not incompetent, management and a lack of advancement opportunities. An Omani pilot buddy may have put it best "it isn't a great job, and I don't see myself being here long term. But it is great experience for a newer pilot and they pay us well enough to keep quiet" - take from it what you will.

Sorry for any grammatical errors or jumbled thoughts. It is 4am. I found this when researching another topic, but figured I would chime in before logging off for the night.

Nice realistic feedback about the country but getting an entry pilot job at Oman Air for an expat is nearly impossible if you don't have the required hours . (Even if you have a lot of Wasta ;-)

good luck

Indeed. I mean no offense to anyone who has certainly earned a pilot position with the company. I do have some incredible 'wasta' contacts there, but as you mentioned, it may not be enough. Time will tell.

Tho to be honest, Omanair would not be my first choice in the region. However, as a boot pilot fresh out of school, I will be happy to get any paying jet gig, and would be remiss not to jump at any offer for a large, international airline.