Govt presents road map for Oman's aviation sector

MUSCAT: Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, presented on Monday the road map for the country's major aviation sector stakeholders, which include the airlines (Oman Air, SalamAir), Oman Airports, and the ground handling company Transom.
He said Oman has succeeded in playing a positive role due to the effects of the geopolitical situation by ensuring the continuity of supply chains across the region and facilitating air travel for passengers, and added that the current crisis will not impact both airlines due to factors like jet fuel prices and booking cancellations.
Speaking to the media, the minister said, 'Three years ago, we started talking mainly about Oman Air, and then we started talking about Oman Airports as well, because the focus is on the entire aviation sector. Now, Oman Airports has started exporting services to the new markets, including Tanzania, Iraq and Rwanda.' With regards to Oman Air, the minister said, 'The restructure of the company is going in the right direction. Actually, we are 12 months ahead of schedule. Last year, 2025, Oman achieved a positive EBITDA. This has not happened since 2009. We're focusing on staying ahead of schedule and making sure that challenges in the region do not affect the balance sheet.
The minister said that SalamAir, after its acquisition by the government, will complement Oman Air, and both airlines will provide two distinct services as two distinct brands. SalamAir will focus on the low cost and give options to the travellers who want the lowest possible prices. The other one focuses on the full service, basically luxury travel.' Better coordination between both airlines will expand the national air connectivity network and increase the number of destinations.
The minister said the Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) workshop will be operational this year, in addition to the launch of new regional aviation services, targeting tourist destinations. He said the oil field airports of Marmul, Mukhaizna and Fahud should be available for normal civilians.
The Muscat Airport City project is aimed at Oman's transformation into a regional air logistics hub to expand the economic scope of the aviation sector beyond flights and passengers to provide an integrated environment that combines logistics, commercial and tourism services in a single, interconnected system.
Oman Airports achieved growth in passenger traffic, reaching approximately 15.2 million passengers through the airports of the Sultanate of Oman, and a 4-per cent increase in air cargo traffic, reflecting growing demand and improved operational efficiency.
Oman Air reported an EBITDA of RO 3.2 million for 2025, positive for the first time in 15 years.
The airline also achieved a RO 27 million reduction in bank loans, marking the first year the airline has decreased its level of debt since 2009.
These achievements sit alongside a 6% reduction in CASK – or “Cost Per Seat”, reflecting the ongoing impact of its transformation initiatives. In 2025, Oman Air carried 5.8 million passengers, an 8% increase over 2024, while achieving an 82% load factor, the result of its network optimisation and fleet utilisation strategy.
As a result of its strategy to increase visitors to Oman, the airline also grew its point-to-point flights by 34% year-on-year.
SalamAir continued to reinforce its role as Oman’s low-cost carrier, recording strong operational performance in 2025 by transporting more than 3.4 million passengers and operating over 22,000 flights across a network of more than 40 destinations, while maintaining an on-time performance rate of 83% and achieving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +17, reflecting growing customer satisfaction.