As the global aviation fraternity prepares to celebrate the International Civil Aviation Day, which falls on 7 December, the Sultanate's premier statistical agency, the (NCSI), has released comprehensive statistics on the country's air traffic sector over the last decade.
Total cargo unloaded at the Muscat International Airport last year exceeded 87.50 million ton, as against 55,850 ton unloaded in 2006, showing a significant growth over the last 10 years. Loaded cargo increased from 42,058 ton to more than 45.56 million ton during the period, says the NCSI report.
Meanwhile, Salalah Airport recorded 708,456 ton of unloaded cargo and 854,848 ton of loaded cargo last year, marking a significant increase over the prior year's (2014) cargo volumes of 553,938 ton (unloaded) and 656,193 ton (loaded) respectively.
The number of international, domestic and other flights at Muscat International Airport last year reached 47,459 (landings) and 47,461 (take-offs), as against 24,965 landings and 24,936 take-offs in 2006.
Passenger arrivals at the Muscat International Airport surged to over 5.212 million last year as against 2,278 arrivals in 2006, while passenger departures shot up to more than 5.072 million in contrast with 2,244 passenger departures logged in 2006.
At the Salalah Airport, there were 5,048 flight landings and 5,047 take-offs in 2015, as against 5,336 landings and 5,329 take-offs in 2009. Passenger arrivals at the airport increased from 209,734 in 2009 to 495,450 in 2015. Passenger departures rose to 525,718 from 216,769 in 2009.
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