Passenger traffic through Oman’s airports reached 6.28 million passengers during the first half of 2026, down 9.3% compared with 6.92 million passengers recorded during the same period in 2025, according to data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The number of international flights operating through
Muscat, Salalah and Sohar airports also declined by 10.7% to 38,203 flights by
the end of June 2026, compared with 42,778 flights in the corresponding period
last year.
Muscat International Airport handled the majority of
passenger traffic, recording 5.69 million passengers, a decrease of 8.8%
year-on-year.
Total flights at the airport, including international and
domestic services, fell 8.3% to 41,022 flights.
Indian nationals represented the largest passenger group at
Muscat International Airport during June 2026, with 173,156 travellers arriving
and departing.
Omani nationals ranked second with 125,560 passengers,
followed by Bangladeshi nationals with 47,822 passengers.
Salalah Airport recorded a 14.6% decline in passenger
traffic, with numbers falling to 561,532 passengers by the end of June 2026,
while flight movements decreased 12.8% to 3,945 flights.
Sohar Airport saw passenger traffic decline significantly,
with numbers dropping 45.8% to 182 passengers, while total flights decreased
9.5% to 76. At Duqm Airport, domestic flights declined 10.5% to 274 flights,
while passenger numbers fell 13.1% to 26,127 during the period.
The decline in passenger and flight activity reflects a slowdown across Oman’s airport network during the first half of 2026, with major airports experiencing reduced traffic compared with the previous year. -TradeArabia News Service