Salalah Airport has retained its five-star regional rating from Skytrax for the second consecutive assessment, strengthening its status as Oman’s leading southern aviation gateway and a key entry point for Dhofar’s expanding tourism economy.
The recognition follows an audit completed in April 2026 and covers passenger facilities, terminal comfort, cleanliness, shopping, food and beverage services, staff performance, security and immigration. The assessment places the airport among a limited group of regional airports recognised for consistent service delivery across front-line operations.
The rating also marks a boost for Oman Airports as it works to sharpen service standards across its network while supporting the country’s wider tourism and transport strategy. Salalah’s airport has become central to that agenda because of its seasonal traffic surges during the Khareef period, when Dhofar’s monsoon climate draws visitors from across the Gulf and beyond.
The latest assessment highlighted targeted improvements to the passenger journey, including more seat-power availability, the removal of gate-lounge dividers to create more open waiting areas, clearer terminal wayfinding and an expanded range of local food and beverage concepts. These changes have helped reinforce a sense of place inside the terminal while easing movement through the airport.
Skytrax’s five-star regional airport category is based on detailed audits of product quality and staff service standards. For Salalah, the award reflects not only infrastructure quality but also operational discipline, maintenance, cleanliness and the ability to deliver a smooth experience at a gateway that faces sharp seasonal demand swings.
The airport’s modern terminal, opened in November 2015 after operations began there in June that year, has annual capacity of about two million passengers and can be expanded to six million. Its passenger terminal covers more than 65,000 square metres and includes 24 check-in counters, parking for nearly 2,000 vehicles, duty-free shopping, lounges, food outlets, car-hire services, baggage facilities, prayer rooms, medical services, Wi-Fi, children’s play areas and special assistance services.
Salalah’s importance has risen alongside Dhofar’s tourism growth. The 2025 Khareef season drew more than 827,000 visitors between June 21 and August 15, up 2.1 per cent from the same period a year earlier. By the end of July 2025, more than 107,000 visitors had arrived by air, an increase of 10.9 per cent, underscoring the airport’s role in handling peak-season flows.
Passenger data for 2025 showed strong domestic momentum at Salalah. Domestic flights rose 14.3 per cent to 6,227, while domestic passenger numbers increased 17.7 per cent to more than 1.02 million. International passenger numbers were broadly steady at about 678,600, even as international flight movements eased slightly, pointing to stronger utilisation and a market still shaped by airline capacity decisions.
Oman Air’s network strategy has reinforced that trend. The carrier increased capacity between Muscat and Salalah by 17 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024 and carried 19 per cent more passengers on the route. It also operated its first direct charter service between Moscow and Salalah, with plans to extend charter links to additional Russian cities during 2026 and broader European markets from 2027.
The airline expects these initiatives to attract up to 580,000 additional passengers to Salalah by 2030 and generate more than OMR320 million in tourism revenue. Fixed and capped fares for citizens on the Muscat-Salalah route, including during the Khareef peak, have also helped maintain domestic access while supporting higher travel volumes during school holidays and festival periods.
The airport’s five-star status therefore carries commercial significance beyond brand recognition. For airlines, tour operators and hospitality investors, the rating offers a service-quality signal at a destination seeking to move from highly seasonal demand towards a more diversified year-round market. For passengers, the airport’s smaller scale remains an advantage, with modest walking distances, clear circulation routes and a terminal environment that combines natural light, landscaping and open public areas.
The recognition follows an audit completed in April 2026 and covers passenger facilities, terminal comfort, cleanliness, shopping, food and beverage services, staff performance, security and immigration. The assessment places the airport among a limited group of regional airports recognised for consistent service delivery across front-line operations.
The rating also marks a boost for Oman Airports as it works to sharpen service standards across its network while supporting the country’s wider tourism and transport strategy. Salalah’s airport has become central to that agenda because of its seasonal traffic surges during the Khareef period, when Dhofar’s monsoon climate draws visitors from across the Gulf and beyond.
The latest assessment highlighted targeted improvements to the passenger journey, including more seat-power availability, the removal of gate-lounge dividers to create more open waiting areas, clearer terminal wayfinding and an expanded range of local food and beverage concepts. These changes have helped reinforce a sense of place inside the terminal while easing movement through the airport.
Skytrax’s five-star regional airport category is based on detailed audits of product quality and staff service standards. For Salalah, the award reflects not only infrastructure quality but also operational discipline, maintenance, cleanliness and the ability to deliver a smooth experience at a gateway that faces sharp seasonal demand swings.
The airport’s modern terminal, opened in November 2015 after operations began there in June that year, has annual capacity of about two million passengers and can be expanded to six million. Its passenger terminal covers more than 65,000 square metres and includes 24 check-in counters, parking for nearly 2,000 vehicles, duty-free shopping, lounges, food outlets, car-hire services, baggage facilities, prayer rooms, medical services, Wi-Fi, children’s play areas and special assistance services.
Salalah’s importance has risen alongside Dhofar’s tourism growth. The 2025 Khareef season drew more than 827,000 visitors between June 21 and August 15, up 2.1 per cent from the same period a year earlier. By the end of July 2025, more than 107,000 visitors had arrived by air, an increase of 10.9 per cent, underscoring the airport’s role in handling peak-season flows.
Passenger data for 2025 showed strong domestic momentum at Salalah. Domestic flights rose 14.3 per cent to 6,227, while domestic passenger numbers increased 17.7 per cent to more than 1.02 million. International passenger numbers were broadly steady at about 678,600, even as international flight movements eased slightly, pointing to stronger utilisation and a market still shaped by airline capacity decisions.
Oman Air’s network strategy has reinforced that trend. The carrier increased capacity between Muscat and Salalah by 17 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024 and carried 19 per cent more passengers on the route. It also operated its first direct charter service between Moscow and Salalah, with plans to extend charter links to additional Russian cities during 2026 and broader European markets from 2027.
The airline expects these initiatives to attract up to 580,000 additional passengers to Salalah by 2030 and generate more than OMR320 million in tourism revenue. Fixed and capped fares for citizens on the Muscat-Salalah route, including during the Khareef peak, have also helped maintain domestic access while supporting higher travel volumes during school holidays and festival periods.
The airport’s five-star status therefore carries commercial significance beyond brand recognition. For airlines, tour operators and hospitality investors, the rating offers a service-quality signal at a destination seeking to move from highly seasonal demand towards a more diversified year-round market. For passengers, the airport’s smaller scale remains an advantage, with modest walking distances, clear circulation routes and a terminal environment that combines natural light, landscaping and open public areas.
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Saudi Arabia