Salalah Airport Sees 6.7% Increase in Passenger Traffic by End of May 2025

Salalah: The total number of passengers passing through Oman's airports, including Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, and Duqm, reached approximately 5,790,010 by the end of May 2025. This marks a 3% decline compared to the 5,968,622 passengers recorded during the same period in 2024, according to preliminary data released by National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). According to Oman News Agency, Muscat International Airport saw a decrease in passenger numbers, with 5,207,005 passengers by the end of May 2025 compared to 5,393,373 during the same period in the previous year. This represents a 3.5% drop, alongside a 7.5% decline in the number of flights, which totaled 37,307 compared to 40,322 flights in 2024. The data highlighted a 6.7% increase in passenger numbers at Salalah Airport, reaching 557,298 by the end of May 2025, up from 522,224 in the same period of 2024. Despite this growth in passenger traffic, the total number of flights at Salalah Airport showed a slight decline of 0.3%, totaling 3,717 compared to 3,730 flights by the end of May 2024. Conversely, Sohar Airport experienced a significant 98.8% drop in passenger traffic, with only 336 passengers by the end of May 2025, compared to 27,350 passengers during the same period last year. The number of flights from Sohar also decreased by 63.7%, with 82 flights compared to 226 flights in May 2024. Duqm Airport witnessed a 1.5% decline in flight operations, with 256 flights compared to 260 in the previous year. Passenger numbers at Duqm Airport fell by 1.2%, totaling 25,371 by the end of May 2025, compared to 25,675 in May 2024. The statistics also revealed that Indian nationals were the most frequent travelers through Muscat International Airport in May 2025, with 193,861 passengers, including 85,447 arrivals and 108,414 departures. They were followed by Omani nationals, totaling 108,916 passengers, and Pakistani nationals, with 46,930 passengers passing through the airport.