The total passenger traffic (including transit and transfer) through Muscat International Airport increased by 21% to 3,100,706 passengers at the end of May 2012 compared to 2,558,827 for the same period of 2011. The number of arrival passengers increased by 23% to 1,584,769 at the end of May compared to 1,283,894 for the same period last year.
The number of passengers leaving the airport has also increased by 19% to 1,472,959 at the end of May compared to 1,241,004 for the same period in 2011. The increase in passenger traffic at the airport is attributed to the introduction of new airlines by IndiGo, Ethiopian Airlines and United Airways of Bangladesh, as well as an increase in the number of flights operated by the existing airlines, such as Oman Air, Egypt Air, Qatar Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Bangladesh Airlines (Biman).
In terms of air cargo traffic at Muscat airport, the statistics indicate an increase in the total unloaded and loaded freight by 24% with total shipment of 48,858 tonnes at the end of May compared to 39,514 tonnes during the same period in 2011. Salalah Airport has also seen an increase in passenger traffic by 24% with 241,795 passengers using the airport at the end of May compared to 195,109 for the same period in 2011.
As for the movement of air cargo at Salalah airport, freight traffic has recorded a 2% increase in total unloaded and loaded freight, bringing the shipment to 566 tonnes at the end of May compared to 554 tonnes during the same period in 2011.
Source: Oman Daily Observer