Passenger and flight movements picking up
The international and domestic flights operating at various airports of the Sultanate of Oman (Muscat, Salalah and Suhar) at the end of February 2022 saw a growth of 80.2 per cent to 6,708 flights at the end of February 2022, compared to 3,723 flights in the same period in 2021.
The monthly report issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) showed that the inbound and outbound domestic flights through the airports of Muscat, Salalah, Suhar and Duqm saw an increase of 30.4 per cent, bringing the number to 1,973, compared to 1,512 flights in 2021. The number of inbound passengers through airports saw an increase by 85 per cent, as the total number of arrivals, departing, and transiting passengers at Muscat, Salalah, Suhar and Duqm airports reached 1,103,990 by the end of February 2022, an increase of 48 per cent compared to in the same period of the previous year.
International air traffic through Muscat International Airport increased 72.2 per cent, and the total number of international passengers (arrivals, departures, and transfers) increased 67.6 per cent, from 471,087 passengers at the end of February 2021 to 789,682 passengers at the end of February this year.
As for Salalah Airport, it recorded a significant increase in the number of flights by 50.1 per cent, as the number of international flights arriving and departing through the airport reached 458 flights by the end of February 2022, registering an increase of 137.3 per cent.
The number of domestic flights through Salalah Airport increased by 17.6 per cent to 609 flights, compared to 518 flights during the same period in 2021.
The number of domestic passengers travelling through Salalah Airport increased by 39.1 per cent at the end of February 2022, compared to the same period in 2021. The number of international flights from Suhar Airport reached 170 by the end of February 2022, with 15,312 passengers using the facility.
As for Duqm Airport, it recorded a 19.6 per cent increase in the number of domestic flights to 122 at the end of February 2022, compared to 102 flights at the end of February 2021. The number of passengers increased by 19 per cent from 8,193 passengers at the end of February 2021.
With regard to the nationalities using Muscat International Airport, the Indian nationality topped the list with 85,967 passengers, followed by the Bangladeshi nationality with 35,959 passengers and the Pakistani nationality with 28, 617 passengers.