Sohar: Passengers flying to and from Oman through Sohar International Airport now have more choices of both destinations and flights, after Iran’s Qeshm Airways became the latest airline to operate routes to the city.

Sohar welcome last week the first Qeshm Air flight to Oman, with the Iranian airline expected to operate seven weekly flights between Sohar and the cities of Shiraz, Isfahan and Mashhad. Three weekly flights will operate from Shiraz, two from Isfahan and one from Mashhad.

A statement from Oman Airports, the organisation that manages and runs airports in the Sultanate, said: “Qeshm Air is the third international airline to operate direct flights to Sohar Airport, after Qatar Airways and Air Arabia, as well as SalamAir, which operates its domestic flights to Salalah Airport.”

Qeshm Airlines is expected to further improve tourist and economic movement between Sohar and Shiraz, especially when it comes to setting up businesses and seeing the sights of the Batinah Governorates. This is in addition to the presence of the Sohar Port and Free Zone, which acts as a commercial gateway with the world.

Sohar Airport is one of the aviation centres to which the government attaches great importance to stimulating air traffic through, with the aim of reaching two million passengers through it in the coming years, said Ali Thani Al Khayifi, director for Sohar Airport.

“The launch of the Qeshm flight route is a new addition to the airport's air traffic, which will stimulate travel to and from the airport and make it one of the travel options to and from this international destination, which the executive management in Oman Airports seeks to fulfill,” he said. “As one of its expansion plans for the New Year, the airport is witnessing continuous growth in passenger traffic and contributes according to the plans laid down, to increasing the number of travellers to two million passengers annually during the coming years.”

Until the end of November, according to data from the National Centre of Statistics and Information (NCSI), until the end of November 2019, Sohar Airport received 274,767 passengers, of which 258,394 were travellers on international flights, while the remaining 16,373 were domestic travellers. A total of 1,063 international flights landed at Sohar, and a further 1,059 departed from the airport.

118 domestic flights took off and landed at Sohar Airport, with there being 7,725 domestic passengers who arrived at Sohar Airport, and a further 8,648 who departed from the airport. All together, 2,240 flights arrived and took off from Sohar Airport.

There are currently five airports in Oman, of which three – Muscat, Sohar and Salalah operate international routes – while the other two – Duqm and Khasab – only operate domestic flights.

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