Muscat air passengers exceed 7.5m in 2012

Total passenger traffic through Muscat International Airport increased by 16 percent to more than 7.5 million in 2012 compared to the previous year, according to statistics released by the Air Transport Department at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA).             

Arrival passengers rose by 17 percent to 3,828,403 while departing passengers increased 16 percent to 3,638,685, Oman News Agency reported on Friday. 

Officials attributed the increase in traffic into Muscat International Airport to the introduction of new airlines operating in the sultanate including IndiGo, Ethiopian Airlines and United Airways of Bangladesh.

Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines and Turkish Airlines have also expanded services to Muscat. 

In terms of air cargo traffic, statistics showed an increase in the total freight of 14 percent to 112,307 tonnes compared to 98,086 tonnes in 2011. 

ONA also reported that Salalah Airport, Oman's second hub, saw an increase of 23 percent in the total number of passengers to 629,305.

Air cargo volumes at Salalah Airport declined two percent to 1,321 tonnes compared to 1,350 tonnes in 2011.