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In 1929, Oman built its first airport at Bait Al Falaj in Ruwi. The airport had dirt tracks and limited communications. A far cry from the international hub Oman would later become. The airport would initially serve military flights and a few commercial flights. By 1960 a handful of international airlines would start flying into Oman. Surrounded by rocky mountains and due to rugged runways, travellers could expect regular bumpy landings.
When Sultan Qaboos bin Said began his reign in 1970, he sought to further develop travel as a whole and in the same year signed a historic agreement to begin work on Seeb International Airport. The new airport was to be built on a site around 32 km from Muscat, the capital city of Oman. The airport officially opened in 1973 and began welcoming international carriers before expanding its passenger terminals and adding duty free shops in 1983. In 1991, Oman opened a state of the art cargo terminal kitted out with the latest facilities. Seeb International Airport was officially renamed Muscat International Airport in keeping with its location.
Over the next few decades and in an effort to cater to growing tourism demands, Sultan Qaboos supervised the construction of a number of commercial and military airports. Duqm Airport was opened in 2014 and serves the Duqm Freezone Port in the Al Wusta Region and accommodates over 500,000 passengers annually.
As Musandam’s popularity grew exponentially with visitors, an airport at Khasab, the capital of the region was built. The airport operates regular flights from Muscat in addition to military flights.
Salalah International airport started life as an airstrip built by the British in 1935. After its involvement in the Jebel Akhdar War between 1954 and 1957 and the Dhofar War between 1962 and 1976, Salalah emerged as a civilian airport in 1977. The airport originally handled domestic flights but the rise in the number of visitors attracted by the beauty of the region resulted in heavy expansions. By 2003, Salalah had been recognized as a global destination with its very own international airport.
While Oman operates a number of military and cargo airports, Sohar International Airport makes up the last of the commercial airports in the country. Situated in the Wilayat of Sohar in the Batinah Region, the airport opened its doors in 2014 after an initial investment of a 100 million rials. International flights began in 2017 and Air Arabia flying to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
With 5 international airports in the Sultanate of Oman, visitors have the opportunity to visit every part of this stunning country.
