Salalah Airport handles 686,808 passengers

MUSCAT: Salalah Airport handled 686,808 arriving and departing passengers during the 2026 Khareef Dhofar season, highlighting the seasonal tourism industry’s growing importance to the Sultanate of Oman’s aviation sector.
Passenger traffic was recorded between June 1 and August 31, when the airport handled 5,148 arriving and departing flights.
The number of arriving passengers stood at 355,045, while inbound flights totalled 2,561, an increase of 4 per cent from the corresponding period of 2025.
The figures underline the role of air transport in supporting tourism and connecting destinations in the Sultanate of Oman with domestic, regional and international markets.
Monthly passenger numbers rose sharply as the Khareef season gained momentum.
Salalah Airport handled 92,735 passengers in June, rising to 236,088 in July and 357,985 in August. The three figures brought total passenger traffic for the period to 686,808.
Aircraft movements followed a similar pattern. The airport handled 957 arriving and departing flights in June, 1,854 in July and 2,337 in August, bringing the three-month total to 5,148 flights.
The increase reflected the close relationship between the tourism and aviation industries during Khareef Dhofar, when seasonal demand translates into a sharp rise in passenger and aircraft movements.
The figures also demonstrate the need to continue improving the efficiency and capacity of the aviation system to accommodate substantial seasonal changes in demand and support the wider tourism economy.
Hamed bin Ahmed al Barashdi, official spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority, said the results reflected the scale of growth in travel during the 2026 season.
Handling the increase required close coordination among the different organisations operating within the civil aviation sector, he said.
Al Barashdi said the authority was working, through its regulatory and supervisory role, to create the conditions needed for sustainable growth in air traffic.
Its responsibilities include monitoring aviation safety requirements and air traffic flows, supervising air navigation and meteorological services, and coordinating with other organisations involved in the sector.
These measures support the efficiency of the air transport system and its ability to respond to rising demand, he added.
Al Barashdi said the authority placed considerable importance on improving the sector’s performance and capacity as passenger traffic continued to grow.
Air transport is a key enabler of tourism, supports economic activity and connects the Sultanate of Oman’s governorates with regional and international destinations, he added. — ONA