Passenger numbers at Oman airports up...

GCC country has six more airports in the pipeline

Passenger traffic through Oman’s airports increased by 16.4% in the first four months of 2024, compared with the same period last year.

Data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) shows that more than 4.9 million passengers arrived, departed and transited through the country’s airports during this period.

The total number of flights also rose to 36,000, representing a 12.3% increase compared with the 32,000 flights in the first four months of 2023.

Muscat International Airport served as the primary hub, handling approximately 4.4 million passengers by the end of April 2024. This marks a 16.8% rise from the 3.7 million passengers handled during the corresponding period in 2023. The airport also reported a 12.4% increase in flight operations, totalling 32,500 international and domestic flights.

Salalah Airport also demonstrated growth, with passenger numbers reaching 429,181 – a 9.9% increase from the previous year.

Sohar Airport reported the highest rise, with passenger numbers increasing to 22,390, compared with 5,669 during the first quarter of 2023.

The release of the figures follows the announcement that six new airports are in the pipeline in Oman. The new hubs are expected to begin operating between 2028 and 2029.

Naif bin Ali al Abri, chairman of Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Through this planned expansion, Oman aims to increase the number of airports in the country to 13, facilitating domestic aviation and bolstering tourism.

"With the completion of these projects, we are expecting a significant surge in airport passenger traffic, projected to reach 50 million by 2040 from the current 17 million.”

For more information, visit www.caa.gov.om

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