12mn passengers pass through sultanate’s airports: NCSI

A total of 12.04mn passengers travelled through the Muscat, Salalah, Sohar and Duqm airports until the end of August 2019.

Meanwhile, the number of arriving and departing flights at Muscat, Salalah and Sohar airports by the end of August reached 75,971, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The total number of passengers at the Muscat International Airport rose by 6.5 per cent to 10.8mn passengers at the end of August compared to the same period of the previous year.

The total number of flights at the Muscat airport fell by 0.8 per cent to 78,171 at the end of August 2019, from 78,773 in the same period of 2018.

The number of international flights at the Muscat airport was 71,073 during the eight-month period of 2019 compared to 71,046 in the same period of the previous year.

Meanwhile, the total number of international passengers at the Muscat airport rose by 7.4 per cent at the end of August, reaching more than 10mn. The figures include 4.9mn passenger arrivals, 5mn departures, and 20,804 transit passengers.

Meanwhile, domestic flights at the Muscat airport fell by 8.1 per cent to 7,098 at the end of August 2019 against 7,727 in the same period of 2018.

The arrival and departure of domestic flights also dropped by 8.1 per cent and 8.2 per cent respectively. The total number of domestic passengers at the Muscat airport fell by 4.3 per cent to 776,018 in August, against 810,667 in the same period of the previous year.

That included 384,210 passenger arrivals and 391,808 passenger departures, the NCSI report showed.

Meanwhile, according to the report, the total number of passengers at the Salalah Airport fell by 2.4 per cent to 962,778 at the end of August 2019 compared to 986,473 in the same period of 2018.

The total number of flights at the Salalah Airport fell by 1.9 per cent to 8,120 compared to 8,276 in August 2018.

The total number of international flights at the Salalah Airport surged by 19.1 per cent to 3,331 till the end of August 2019 while the number of domestic fights fell by 12.6 per cent to 4,789 in August 2019.

The total number of international passengers recorded a rise of 12.2 per cent to reach 368,428 while the number of domestic passengers fell by 9.7 per cent to 594,350.

However, there was a drop in the total number of passengers at the Sohar Airport by 17.2 per cent to 203,647 for the period under study compared to 245,934 for the same period of 2018.

The total number of flights at the Sohar Airport also fell by 14.5 per cent to 1,673 at the end of August 2019 compared to 1,956 at the end of August 2018.

The Duqm Airport saw a rise in the total number of passengers by 27 per cent to 36,766 at the end of August 2019 compared to 28,939 in the same period of 2018.

The total number of flights at the Duqm Airport till the end of August 2019 reached 406, registering a drop of 0.2 per cent compared to 407 in August 2018, the NCSI report stated.

Arriving and departing flights at Muscat, Salalah, Sohar airports reached 75,971