General Information » Getting Around » Air Travel

Muscat is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, so it is an easily accessible city. Most European cities are only seven hours away. However, Muscat’s proximity to larger Middle East hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha mean that you have to connect via another Gulf city. There are some direct flights to London (on British Airways or Gulf Air), and you can fly direct to India, Pakistan and numerous Middle East countries. From July 2006, Gulf Air will start a direct flight from Muscat to Paris.

Seeb International Airport is located 35km, or about 20 minutes, from the main part of Muscat. It is a comfortable, modern airport that also offers domestic flights to Salalah and Khasab (Mussandam). The Salalah and Khasab airports handle limited international flights. When leaving the country, there is an airport tax that you will have to pay (RO 3), but this should be included in the cost of your ticket. All flights to and from Seeb International Airport are listed in the daily newspapers.

The country’s national carrier is Oman Air, but Oman also has part ownership in Gulf Air along with Bahrain and Abu Dhabi (although Abu Dhabi has announced its intention to withdraw from the partnership to concentrate on its national carrier, Etihad. This follows the withdrawal of founding partner Qatar, in 2002, to concentrate on Qatar Airways). Oman Air operates direct flights to various international destinations, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Egypt and the UAE. To contact Oman Air, call 24 707 222 for ticket sales, 24 519 223 for flight information, or visit their website at www.oman-air.com.

Abu Dhabi's national carrier, Etihad, recently started a direct route from Muscat to Abu Dhabi (operating daily). Log on to www.etihadairways.com for more information.

Flying to Salalah and Khasab (Mussandam) cuts down a full day’s journey from Muscat to 90 minutes and is the quickest option if you don’t plan to camp or visit the many attractions along the way. Oman Air offers two or three daily flights from Muscat to Salalah. The cost for a return economy class fare from Muscat to Salalah is in the region of RO 68 (for a stay of less than three days), and RO 76 (for a longer stay). Flights to Khasab are on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and cost around RO 48 return. Oman Air also flies directly to Khasab and Salalah from Dubai.

A duty-free shop is located in the departure area at Seeb International Airport and outbound travellers have a chance to win cash prizes or luxury cars with a raffle ticket. The arrivals hall has two Travelex exchange counters (one before immigration f...