Oman Airports offers a gateway to all that Oman has to offer, as well as connections to the marvels that lie to the east and west.
Oman Airports manages and maintains all airports in the Sultanate of Oman (consisting of Muscat, Salalah, Duqm, and Sohar). Muscat and Salalah International Airport provide connectivity for worldwide passengers travelling beyond Oman. Muscat International Airport is connected to 77 destinations, serving 32 countries by 31 international airlines, and Salalah International Airport is connected to 17 destinations, serving 11 countries by 13 international airlines.
Oman Airports are proud and supportive of their airline clients operating in Muscat, Salalah, and Sohar airports; all airlines are steadily growing through capacity and frequency increase. Oman Airports continue to support their airlines by setting up frequent private meetings, making sure each airline is delicately taken care of and to provide the customer experience they deserve.
Recently, Oman Airports has welcomed three new airlines; Iranian carrier Qeshm Air, which flies two weekly direct flights from Qeshm Island to Muscat; Indian low-cost carrier Go Air, operating three weekly direct flights from Kannur, India to Muscat; and Cham Wings, a Syrian Carrier, has begun operating flights from Muscat International Airport, operating from Damascus to Muscat two days a week. Also, Gulf airlines has begun operating three weekly flights from Bahrain to Salalah international airport .
Plus, Kish Airways has added one extra flight, making it a total of four nonstop weekly flights from Kish to Muscat. Similarly, scheduled Airline Iran Aseman will be starting a new origin from Chabahar to Muscat in the summer season of 2019 and will increase their frequency from two to three weekly flights. Moreover, Oman Airports has recently congratulated low-cost national carrier Salam Air for adding a new route from Muscat International Airport to Alexandria Burg Al Erab Airport, with daily flights. Also, Salam air added Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport to its network. The flight will operate three times per week and the full timetable is available on their website.
Oman Airports offers excellent connectivity to further destinations – passengers from European countries can connect via the country’s national carrier Oman Air, low-budget airline Salam Air and a variety of commercial airlines. It links to African and Asian cities like Cairo, Addis Ababa, Casablanca, Dar es Salam, Zanzibar, Nairobi and Khartoum, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Male, Manila Guangzhou, Tbilisi, Colombo, and Baku. Not only does the airport offer a new state-of-the-art building, but it also provides a high standard of safety and security measures, short flight durations, affordable airline prices, less congestion at the airport and, overall, an exceptional customer experience.
An excellent connection
An example of European connectivity would be looking back to the 18 and 19 April 2019, when Oman geared up yet again for it’s biggest passenger turn-around operation, with 900 passengers flying in from the UK (Manchester, Gatwick and Birmingham) in three chartered flights operated by TUI airlines. These passengers had to join MV Marella Discovery cruise at Muscat Port, while the previous 900 passengers disembarked the ship and joined these flights back to the UK. It was a great collaboration – with TUI encouraging new business and connectivity between Europe and Oman.
Furthermore, Asian inbound tourism is also steadily increasing thanks to the full range of airlines operating to Asia. Oman Air flies to Guangzhou, Mali, Manila, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur; Thai Airways flies via Karachi to Bangkok; and Sri Lankan Airlines to Colombo.
In addition to this, there are carriers like Air India Express, Indigo, Air India, Air Blue, Biman Bangladesh, Jet Airways, Pakistan Airlines, Regent Airways, Shaheen Air, Spice Jet and US Bangla Airlines connecting to cities in the Indian subcontinent.
The airport is looking to expand its network to new routes in the Far East, South-East Asia and also Africa. By attending significant events like Routes Asia, Routes Europe and IATA Slot Conferences, more opportunities are ongoing to connect with airlines and airports, and to discuss further business cases and collaborations.
An example of the efforts in building stronger relations with Asia is when Oman Airports’ airline marketing team once again participated at the second China-Oman tourism cooperation forum held in Muscat on the 25 April 2019 , where delegates held one-to-one meetings with Chinese tour operators.
The cooperation plays a positive role in strengthening inbound and outbound tourism in the long run, in addition to exchanging new business opportunities to achieve an increase in passenger flow.
In 2018, the number of Chinese citizens visiting Oman reached 21,500, up by 28.6% over the previous year. Oman Airports continue to work hand in hand with stakeholders to further expand mutual visits between both countries.
Long-term tourism
One of Oman Airports’ goals is to attract inbound tourism to Oman, aligning with the governments’ investment in Oman’s tourism and hospitality sector; projected investment is around $50 billion over the next two decades, underlining the increasingly prominent role the sector plays in driving the nation’s long-term economic development. Therefore, the airport continues to focus on increasing its connectivity, connecting Asia to Africa and Europe through Oman Airports. Oman Airports’ total number of passengers reached 17.2M in 2018.
The airport works openly with stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Tourism, Royal Oman Police and Public Authority for Civil Aviation. Oman Airports acts as a one-stop shop for existing and new clients, ensuring that all procedures are executed smoothly and that all queries are adequately met.
The Ministry of Tourism works hand in hand with Oman Airports in supporting airlines with destination promotion campaigns, working as a vital tool to increase Oman’s awareness internationally, to identify penetrating new inbound and outbound markets, and to increase the volume of inbound and outbound tourism travel through local tour operators.
Royal Oman Police is also a stakeholder that adds so much value to the route development scheme. Oman Airports works jointly to strengthen a broader scope for visa relaxation opportunities, especially to specific countries, and also to open doors for an easier visa application and process. Oman’s well-deserved reputation for being one of the safest countries in the world remain a top priority for Oman, and so subjects such as safety, security, and open visa possibilities are handled with much care and detailed attention. Currently Oman Airports serves over 70 countries for a visa upon arrival. To know more, please visit Royal Oman Police’s webpage.
Moreover, the Public Authority for Civil aviation (PACA) is an entity that Oman Airports depends on. Bilateral agreements is a government-to-government level agreement, and thus a constant update from PACA requires regular meetings, reviewing how to ease the procedures in subjects such as traffic rights and landing approvals.
An ancient country
For those who want a relaxing peaceful holiday destination, then Oman is the place. Oman is a land of deep history and captivating culture that dates back well over 5,000 years; it is now known for its four popular UNESCO World Heritage sites. An untouched ancient memoir is recognised for its preserved heritage often referred to as the ‘true Arabia’.
Visitors will come across souks drowned with beautiful handmade silver, a breeze of frankincense fragrance in the air, Omani pottery and cattle lined up in the alleys, colourful fabric prints hanging and delicious Omani street food. It is a trip back in time – like how it used to be in the old Muscat city thousands of years ago.
The people themselves have a reputation for being among the world’s most hospitable. Their friendly gesture testifies to their enthusiasm to share their distinctive culture with people, and most explorers to Oman will have at least one story to share of incredible local generosity.
A gentle, warm and peaceful country that gives you the sense of safety and genuine care has created a well-deserved rank for Oman worldwide as the fourth safest country in the world by the World Economic Forum.
When you arrive in Oman, you will be warmly welcomed by Oman Airports team, experiencing a peaceful walk through the new state-of-the-art building and a smooth immigration process before you exit the Airport. Oman is the latest gateway to the Middle East and beyond, and is looking forward to embracing new airlines in 2019 and welcoming travellers from around the world.
Muscat International Airport was voted the best airport in the Middle East for the first time since its inception, based on the traveller’s choice, outranking last-year’s winner Dubai International Airport and other giant Gulf and regional airports.
Oman Airports, represented by Saud Nasser Al-Hubeishi, senior vice-president, accepted this prestigious award at the award ceremony in AUH, attended by a wide spectrum of professionals in the aviation, airport and travel industry across the world, with a network of senior representatives of more than 200 companies from all sectors of the airports, aviation, travel, tourism and hotel industries – a great achievement that Oman Airports is very proud of.
Oman Airports continues to strive for greatness; it continues to attend significant events throughout the year aligning with its 2019 route development strategy. Make sure to book a meeting with Oman Airports at Routes Asia, Routes Europe, World Routes, ITB and WTM to start detailed discussions on how to collaborate further.
