Muscat Int'l Airport sees 17% rise in passengers

Total passenger numbers using Muscat International Airport in the first nine months of 2012 increased by 17 percent to 6.2m compared to 5.3m in the same period last year.

Arrival passengers rose by 18 percent to 3.1m while departing passengers rose by 17 percent to just over 3m, Oman News Agency reported on Friday. 

Airport operators attributed the increase to the launch of new services including flights by Ethiopian Airlines and the United Airways of Bangladesh.

Muscat International Airport has also seen an increase in flights from Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Flydubai, Sri Lankan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Biman Bangladesh Airlines. 

In terms of air cargo traffic, statistics indicated a 15 percent increase to 94,000 tonnes compared to 82,347 tonnes in the same period in 2011. 

Salalah Airport also saw a double digit rise in passengers with a 23 percent increase to 524,815 compared to 426,235 passengers for the same period last year. 

However, air cargo volumes at Salalah Airport fell by one percent, ONA said.

Oman Air said in June the first five months of 2012 has been the most successful in its history. The airline said net passenger revenue grew by 28 percent compared to the same period last year. Passenger numbers also grew by 19 percent.

Oman Air's cargo revenue increased by 47 percent for the January to May period while cargo tonnage increased by 33 percent.