Flights to Salalah fully booked
People in the capital look to make full use of the long weekend
Travellers are looking to get the most of the long weekend with Sunday being declared a holiday owing to the Renaissance Day. However, there won’t be much scope for last-minute travel plans as flights to Salalah are fully booked.
Most bus operators on the Salalah route also reported high bookings since the holiday was announced on Sunday.
Salalah has emerged as the preferred destination for most travellers. Apart from Salalah, people will also be visiting Jebel Akhdar, Jebel Shams, Khasab and Ras al Jinz to make the most of the three-day break.
An Oman Air official said, “People have been booking for sometime now. Because of the holiday most of our flights to Salalah are fully booked. A few seats are left but only on Saturday.”
Air Arabia too flies to Salalah via Sharjah. “It is usual business during this time of the year. However, when holidays are announced people opt to travel and all our seats get sold out,” an Air Arabia official said.
The demand is such that budget airline SalamAir has added another flight to its service to Salalah. A SalamAir official said, “We have six daily flights to Salalah and all are booked. We will have an additional flight on Friday. Just a few seats are available but they too will be gone in no time.”
People have also made extensive plans for road trips too. They are all set to leave Muscat on Wednesday evening or Thursday as per their work schedules.
Vikas Singh, a marketing officer in an insurance company, said, “I and three of my friends are going to drive to Salalah. Muscat being hot and humid, what best can you ask for when there’s a chance to get drenched in the rain in Dhofar.”
While Salalah is still considered the best option, there are people who will be travelling via the sea route to enjoy the country’s stunning natural beauty.
An official from National Ferries Company said, “All seats on our ferry services are fully booked. Many will be travelling to places like Lima, Masirah Islands and Khasab during the long weekend.”