Oman is set to undergo a transformation in its aviation landscape with plans to construct six new airports by 2028-2029. The ambitious initiative aims to bolster the country’s infrastructure and accommodate a projected surge in passenger traffic, expected to reach 50 million by 2040 from the current 17 million.
Naif Al Abri, chairman of Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), disclosed the development during a recent interview at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh. Al Abri emphasized that the addition of these six new airports will bring the total count to 13, a move intended to bolster domestic aviation and fortify Oman’s burgeoning tourism sector.
The announcement follows Oman’s successful inauguration of a new terminal at Muscat airport in 2018, boasting an impressive capacity of 20 million passengers annually. Additionally, the country launched a state-of-the-art terminal building at Salalah, capable of accommodating two million passengers per year. Notably, new airports in Duqm and Suhar have also been unveiled, further enhancing Oman’s aviation infrastructure.
Furthermore, Oman revealed plans for the upcoming Musandam airport, slated to open in the latter half of 2028, with preparatory studies for the project already completed.
Recent data underscores the burgeoning growth in Oman’s airport passenger traffic, with a notable surge witnessed by the end of February 2024. Muscat International Airport spearheaded this expansion, experiencing a 17 percent increase in flight frequencies. Moreover, total passenger traffic, including arrivals, departures, and flight transfers, surged by an impressive 22.9 percent, surpassing 2.4 million passengers in the first two months of 2024 alone.
The remarkable upswing in Oman’s airport passenger traffic in 2023 and 2024 aligns closely with forecasts by BMI, which predicted a robust annual growth rate of 24.7 percent in arrivals for 2024, amounting to an estimated 5.3 million visitors.
