25 per cent increase in airport revenues in Oman last year

Muscat: Nearly 5,48,000 flights flew through the Sultanate’s airspace in 2017, the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) said.
According to the annual report by PACA, the Sultanate saw a five per cent rise in the number of aircrafts through Omani airspace in 2017 when compared to 2016. Between 2013 and 2017 a 30 per cent growth was noted. The report added that 1,600 aircrafts flew through the Sultanate every day.
The report also stated that Oman Airports recorded a 25 per cent growth in terms of revenues due to the increase in traffic from Muscat and Salalah. Passenger traffic at Muscat International Airport too grew by 17 per cent over the last year when compared to 2016, with more than 14 million passengers in comparison to 12 million and 32 thousand in 2016.
The amount of incoming and outgoing aircrafts increased by nine per cent last year, with 120,559 aircrafts in 2017 compared to the 110,379 in 2016.
According to the report, the Salalah Airport achieved a growth rate of 99 per cent during the 2013-2017 period. Meanwhile, the number of passengers touched 1,485,635 in 2017 compared to 746,994 in 2013.
Sohar Airport too witnessed a growth in traffic with 987 aircrafts from July 2017 until the end of last year. Passenger traffic at the airport also increased by 114,504 from June 2017 to December 2017. Duqm Airport recorded a 41 per cent rise in passenger traffic and a total of 34,347 passengers were recorded last year in comparison to 24,429 passengers in 2016.
The total number of airlines handled reached 85 last year, in addition to eight registered commercial aircrafts. Meanwhile, the number of complaints handled by air traffic touched 149 in 2017. A total of 872 cases, where hazardous materials were transported, were recorded and 1058 permits were issued to enter the airport.