Oman airports record surge in number of flights and passengers

The number of international and domestic flights (arrivals and departures) via the various airports of the Sultanate of Oman — Muscat, Salalah, Suhar and Duqm — registered a remarkable growth of 142.1 per cent as of end of July 2022, reaching 32,608 flights compared to the same period in 2021 with 13,468 flights, according to the latest statistics from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The number of arrivals through the airports has risen significantly by 187 per cent, as the total number of arriving, departing and transiting passengers at Muscat, Salalah, Suhar and Duqm airports reach 4,907,599 as of the end of July 2022. Airport departures up to the end of July also increased by 127 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

The number of international and domestic flights (arrivals and departures) via Muscat International Airport increased by 114.8 per cent, with 34,556 flights as of the end of July 2022, transporting 4,251,173 passengers, compared with 16,084 flights in 2021 with 647,724 passengers.

On the other hand, Salalah Airport recorded a remarkable increase of 95.3 per cent in international and domestic flights. The number of flights through the airport reached 4,601 as of end of July 2022. The number of international flights through Salalah Airport has increased by 201.9 per cent while domestic flights rose by 52.9 per cent to 2, 578 flights, compared to 1, 686 trips during the same period in 2021. The number of passengers travelling through Salalah Airport increased by 68.2 per cent until the end of July 2022.

The number of international and domestic (departures and arrivals) from Suhar Airport reached 534 as of end of July 2022, and the number of passengers on international and domestic (arrivals/departures) reached 47,697 passengers.

Meanwhile, Duqm Airport recorded a 6.6 per cent increase in the number of domestic travels (departures and arrivals) reached 386 flights until the end of July 2022, compared to 362 trips during the same period in 2021. The number of passengers increased by 45.1 per cent from 25, 402 travellers as of end of July 2021 to 36,868 passengers as of the end of July 2022.

Indians topped the highest number of passengers on departures and arrivals using the Muscat International Airport with 144,845 passengers, followed by Bangladeshis with 47,424 passengers, and Pakistanis with 37,797 passengers as of end of July 2022.