The total number of passengers passing through Oman’s airports (Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, and Duqm Airport) reached approximately 5,790,010 million by the end of May 2025, compared to 5,968,622 during the same period in 2024, reflecting a 3 percent decline, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported, citing preliminary data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
Muscat International Airport handled 5,207,005 million passengers by the end of May 2025, down from 5,393,373 in the same period of the previous year, marking a decrease of 3.5 percent. The number of flights also dropped by 7.5 percent to 37,307 thousand flights, compared to 40,322 thousand flights in the same period of 2024.
Salalah Airport gains passengers as Sohar declines and Duqm sees flight drop
The data indicated that Salalah Airport saw a 6.7 percent increase in passenger numbers, reaching 557,298 thousand by the end of May 2025, up from 522,224 in the same period of 2024. However, the total number of flights showed a slight decline of 0.3 percent, totaling 3,717 compared to 3,730 thousand flights by the end of May 2024.
Sohar Airport recorded a sharp 98.8 percent drop in passenger traffic by the end of May 2025, with only 336 passengers, compared to 27,350 thousand passengers during the same period last year. Additionally, the number of flights also fell by 63.7 percent, reaching 82 flights compared to 226 flights by the end of May 2024.
Duqm Airport also experienced a decline in flight operations of 1.5 percent, with 256 flights compared to 260 in the same period the previous year. The passenger numbers at Duqm Airport decreased by 1.2 percent, totaling 25,371 thousand passengers by the end of May 2025, down from 25,675 in May 2024.
Read more: Oman airports see 13.3 million passengers, close to 99,000 flights by November 2024
Most frequent travelers through Muscat
The statistics revealed that Indian nationals topped the list of most frequent travelers (arrivals and departures) through Muscat International Airport during May 2025, with a total of 193,861 thousand passengers, including 85,447 thousand arrivals and 108,414 thousand departures. Following Indian nationals were Omani nationals, with a total of 108,916 thousand passengers, including 54,086 thousand arrivals and 54,830 thousand departures. Pakistani nationals ranked third with 46,930 thousand passengers, including 21,267 thousand arrivals and 25,663 thousand departures.
