The total number of passengers traveling through Oman’s airports by the end of April 2025 reached 4.7 million, marking a 4.1 percent decline compared to the same period in 2024, which saw 4.9 million passengers.
Preliminary data released by the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI) revealed that Muscat International Airport handled 4.22 million passengers by the end of April 2025. The number of flights also decreased by 8.6 percent, totaling 29,731 flights compared to 32,520 flights in the previous year.
Salalah Airport traffic rises 6.8 percent
Oman’s Salalah Airport saw a 6.8 percent increase in passenger traffic, reaching 458,394 passengers by the end of April 2025, up from 429,181 passengers in the same period last year. However, total flights at the airport experienced a marginal decline of 0.2 percent, with 2,974 flights compared to 2,980 flights in April 2024.
Meanwhile, Sohar Airport recorded a sharp drop in flight operations, with a 62.5 percent decrease in flights. Passenger numbers also plummeted by 98.7 percent, with only 307 passengers, down from 23,842 in the same period last year.
Similarly, Duqm Airport witnessed a 1.9 percent reduction in flights, totaling 204 flights by the end of April 2025 compared to 208 flights in April 2024. Passenger traffic also declined by 2.7 percent, reaching 19,565 passengers compared to 20,106 in the previous year.
Indian travelers lead arrivals and departures
As for the most active nationalities at Oman’s Muscat International Airport, Indian travelers topped the list for both arrivals and departures, with a total of 182,628 passengers in April 2025. 99,163 travelers were recorded at arrivals and 83,465 at departures.
Omani nationals followed with 101,087 passengers, 45,072 arrivals and 56,015 departures. Meanwhile, Pakistani travelers ranked third with 47,078 passengers, 25,426 arrivals and 21,652 departures.
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Oman targets 50 million passengers by 2040
Oman is planning to have six new airports by 2028-2029. Upon completion, the country expects the number of passengers using its airports to reach 50 million by 2040. In an interview during the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Naif Al Abri, chairman of Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), revealed that with the six new airports, the number of airports in the country will go up to 13, which will support domestic aviation and the country’s tourism sector.
Last week, the Gulf country launched an ambitious plan in 2025 to diversify tourism sectors and enhance recreational offerings through a series of high-quality projects. These initiatives fall under the broader framework of the comprehensive tourism development plan. They aim to strengthen tourism infrastructure and broaden the range of experiences available to visitors.
The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Oman highlighted several prominent projects, including the Recreational Slides Project, Al Ashkhara Gateway Project, Recreational Fishing Project, Mountain Slopes Project, Aromatic Tourism Experiences Project, Falaj Experience Activation Project, Adventure Tourism Initiatives and the Great Oman Journey Experience Project.
