Oman Air (WY, Muscat) is seeking airline partners to rebuild dedicated freighter capacity through lower-risk arrangements rather than initially committing to its own cargo aircraft, Mike Duggan, head of cargo, told the regional business news outlet Arabian Gulf Business Insight.

"We're talking to various carriers from India, Africa, Asia, and Europe to support that," Duggan said. Oman Air initially plans to use block-space agreements, although it has not disclosed any other details.

The strategy builds on Oman Air's shift to outsourced freighter capacity after it sold its only B737-800(BCF), A4O-BU (msn 35108), in May 2025. The airline told ch-aviation at the time that it remained "100% committed to operating significant freighter capacity" and was moving from an insourced to an outsourced model, with main-deck feeder capacity supporting its passenger belly network to and from the Indian subcontinent.

In July 2026, Duggan told Air Cargo News that Oman Air was seeking freighter partnerships linking Asia, Africa, and Europe through Muscat, with potential flows involving Hong Kong International, Viet Nam, and Thailand.

He said at the time that any partnership would extend beyond a straightforward block-space agreement, with Oman Air involved in routing and scheduling, and that a successful model could eventually support its own widebody freighter operation.

The carrier's cargo yields reportedly fell around 15% to 20% between 2024 and 2025 as passenger belly capacity increased in markets including India and Thailand, although tonnage rose as aircraft utilisation increased. Cargo load factors remained around the mid-70% range.