Oman Air is increasing their presence in Asia later this year by  launching new services from Muscat to Manila, Philippines and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Manila launches on December 2nd with two flights a week initially before adding a third one is added on December 13th.

Jakarta’s inaugural flight is December 12th. They’ll operate three flights per week until a fourth is introduced January 2, 2015.

Flights to both destinations will depart Muscat around midday and arrive at their destinations in the early morning of the following day.

Oman Air will be the first carrier to offer non-stop flights between Muscat and Manila, as well as Muscat and Jakarta. Both the new routes reflect the importance of linking East Asia with the Middle East.

Oman Air’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Paul Gregorowitsch, announced the new services, saying:

“Oman Air is pleased to be offering, from December this year, two outstanding new services from our home base in Muscat.

“We will be offering flights aboard our award-winning Airbus A330 aircraft, to two of Asia’s most important cities, namely Manila and Jakarta. These exciting cities each offer travellers a fascinating view of their countries’ vibrant cultures and we are very confident that they will prove popular with visitors from Oman and further afield.

“In addition, both Manila and Jakarta are important commercial Centre’s and we anticipate strong demand from business travellers, underlining Oman Air’s commitment to supporting positive trade relations between Oman and other nations.”

The announcement of Oman Air’s new services comes ahead of the arrival of the first of 24 aircraft that the airline currently has on order. Oman Air’s current fleet of 30 aircraft will be joined by three Airbus A330s and 15 Boeing B737s, as well as six Boeing B787 Dreamliners, which will enable further expansion of the carrier’s network, as well as increased frequencies on some of its existing routes.