The number of passengers entering the Sultanate of Oman through various airports in the country recorded a remarkable growth of 100 percent by the end of April 2022.
The number of passengers departing from Oman also increased by 69 percent during the same period. The number of passengers arriving, departing, or on transit stood at 2,324,007 during the period.
According to data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the number of international flights arriving and departing from Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah airports recorded a rise of 89 percent to reach 15,261, compared to 8,075 during the same period in 2021.
The number of domestic flights arriving and departing from Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah airports also recorded a rise of 25 percent to reach 3,778, compared to 3,026 during the same period in 2021.
The international flights through Muscat International Airport registered a growth of 82.3 percent as the number of passengers (arriving, departing, and transit) rose by 91.4 percent to stand at 1,723,632 passengers at the end of April 2022, compared to 900,707 during the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, Salalah Airport registered a rise in the number of flights by 58.7 percent.
The number of incoming and outgoing international flights through the airport reached 962 by the end of April 2022, recording an increase of 150.5 percent.
The number of domestic flights through Salalah Airport increased by 22.9 percent to reach 1,209 flights, compared to 984 flights during the same period in 2021. The number of passengers on domestic flights (incoming and outgoing) through Salalah Airport increased by 45.7 percent by the end of April 2022, compared to the same period in 2021.
The number of international flights (departing and arriving) from Sohar Airport reached 276 by the end of April 2022, while the number of passengers on international flights (incoming and outgoing) reached 25,065.
As for Duqm Airport, it recorded an increase of 9.7 percent in the number of domestic flights (departing and arriving) to reach 226 flights at the end of April 2022, compared to 206 flights at the end of April 2021.
The number of passengers increased by 32 percent from 15,943 passengers at the end of April 2021 to 21,051 passengers by the end of April 2022.
Last month, Sheikh Ayman bin Ahmed Al Hosani, CEO of Oman Airports Company, said that the company is in continuous discussion with airlines to activate its gradual routes and return the number of flights in Oman airports to before the pandemic.
Oman Airport is a government-owned company that manages and operates the civil airports in the Sultanate of Oman.
He explained that work is currently underway to motivate airlines operating in Oman’s airports to add more capacity and increase their flights to and from Oman’s airports and provide a comprehensive incentive plan for long and short flights to new, chartered, and seasonal destinations, and new cargo operators.
Al Hosani said that in 2019, Oman’s airports witnessed 17.2 million passengers, while in 2021, after the first wave of the pandemic, airports recovered 40 percent of passenger traffic.
He added that Oman’s airports currently working with operating airlines to increase their flights through Oman’s airports and reach the numbers of 2019.
Moreover, he noted that this may take another two to three years, but thanks to the efforts of all partners in the travel and tourism sectors and the promising economic potential, these percentages and numbers will double and support the rate of recovery.
