Oman Air has announced chief executive Wayne Pearce will step down at the end of the month after two years at the head of the airline.

Airline chairman His Excellency Darwish bin Ismael bin Ali Al Balushi, confirmed the move earlier and explained: “Working with Oman Air’s board of directors, Wayne Pearce has done an excellent job of steering Oman Air through a key phase of our development.

“Following a period of rapid expansion, all the vital elements are now in place for the next phase of our growth, while also safeguarding continued increases in passenger numbers.”

“He leaves us after introducing greater frequencies on a number of key routes, increasing the revenue and passengers’ numbers and improvement in on time performance

Pearce joined Oman Air in January 2012 and brought a wealth of industry experience to his role, gained in a range of positions with travel and aviation businesses across Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

He commented: “It has been both a pleasure and an honour to manage Oman Air through this crucial stage of its development.

“I am pleased that we have been able to gain a major increase in our passenger seat factor to 76 per cent whilst achieving over a 30 per cent growth in loads with a 16 per cent increase in our seats.”