Muscat Airport Guide: Oman Air’s Home on the Gulf of Oman
Muscat Airport is the hub of Oman Air and SalamAir, with two 4,000 metre runways and a 2018 terminal. History, runways, routes, access and spotting explained.
By The Aviation Hub
6 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Muscat Airport, officially Muscat International Airport and for 35 years known as Seeb, is the main gateway to the Sultanate of Oman. It stands on the coast at Seeb, west of the capital, between the Gulf of Oman and the Hajar mountains. Around 13 million passengers used it in the latest full year, with traffic still climbing back towards the 16 million of 2019. Two 4,000 metre runways, a vast terminal opened in 2018 and the hubs of Oman Air and SalamAir give the airport capacity far beyond its current numbers.
Muscat Airport at a Glance
The IATA code is MCT and the ICAO code is OOMS. The terminal is about 20 miles (32 km) west of the old town of Muscat and Mutrah, though the modern city sprawls right up to the airport boundary. Elevation is 15 metres (48 feet). There are two parallel runways and one passenger terminal in use, with the original 1973 terminal mothballed beside it.
Passenger numbers were about 13.2 million in 2025, up from 12.9 million in 2024. Oman Air, the national carrier, and SalamAir, the country’s first budget airline, both hub here. The Royal Flight of Oman and the Royal Air Force of Oman share the field. Oman Airports, a state owned company, operates Muscat Airport. Timetables and parking details are on the airport’s official website.
A Short History of Seeb
Oman’s first airport was Bayt al Falaj, opened in 1929 in a valley behind Mutrah with a notoriously difficult approach between the hills. By the late 1960s it was too small and too dangerous for jets, and the government chose a site at the fishing village of Seeb. Seeb International Airport opened ceremonially on 1 January 1973, a few years into the reign of Sultan Qaboos, as the country began its rapid modernisation.
For decades the 1973 terminal handled everything. It had 23 gates but no air bridges, so passengers were bused to aircraft in the heat. Gulf Air was the national carrier until Oman Air grew into the role in the 1990s and 2000s. The airport took the name Muscat International Airport on 1 February 2008 as part of a plan to raise the country’s profile.
The transformation came in two steps. A second runway opened on 14 December 2014, and the new terminal opened on 18 March 2018 after years of delays. The old terminal closed to commercial flights and found a new life as a field hospital and vaccination centre during the pandemic. The original runway was closed in 2015 for rebuilding and reopened in November 2023.
Runways at Muscat Airport
Muscat Airport has two parallel asphalt runways. Runway 08R/26L, the original, is 4,080 metres (13,386 feet) long and 45 metres wide, refurbished and reopened in November 2023. Runway 08L/26R opened in December 2014 and measures 4,000 metres (13,123 feet) by 60 metres. Both can take the Airbus A380, the Boeing 747-8 and even the Antonov An-225.
The runways run east to west along the shoreline. Westerly operations on 26 bring arrivals in over the city and the sea, and departures climb out over the coast towards Barka. Easterly operations on 08 reverse the pattern, with departures heading over Muscat. Summer heat above 45 degrees Celsius makes the length valuable for Oman Air’s Boeing 787-9 flights to London and Bangkok.
Parallel operations give the airport a capacity that it will not need for many years. Military traffic from the Royal Air Force of Oman and the government’s VIP fleet share the runways, and the field was used by the Royal Air Force during the 1991 Gulf War. A drone detection system installed in 2019 was among the first operational at an international airport.
Terminals and Airlines
The 2018 terminal is enormous: 580,000 square metres with 118 check in desks, 82 immigration counters, 45 gates and a 97 metre control tower rising beside it. The building sits between the two runways, and the first phase was built for 20 million passengers a year. A VIP terminal and an on site hotel stand nearby. The old terminal, now called Terminal 2, is closed to scheduled flights.
Oman Air is the anchor tenant at Muscat Airport, with a fleet of Boeing 737 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, and it joined the oneworld alliance in 2025. SalamAir flies Airbus A320neo and A321neo jets on low cost routes to the Gulf, India, Pakistan and East Africa. Foreign carriers include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, China Eastern, IndiGo, Air India Express, Pakistan International and Biman Bangladesh. Oman Air’s lounge in the main pier is the standout facility.
Routes and Destinations
Dubai is one of the busiest routes, served many times a day by Oman Air, SalamAir, Emirates and flydubai. Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Jeddah, Riyadh and Kuwait complete the Gulf shuttle. The Indian subcontinent is the other pillar, with Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Karachi, Lahore and Dhaka all flown daily, reflecting the large South Asian workforce in Oman.
Europe is served by Oman Air to London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan, Rome, Paris, Zurich, Moscow and Istanbul, and the airline also flies to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta and Manila. Manila is the longest regular sector at about 4,100 miles (6,620 km), ahead of Jakarta and London. Domestic flights link Salalah, with its monsoon tourism, plus Duqm and Khasab. The winter season from October to April is the busiest for leisure traffic. Cargo runs at around 160,000 tonnes a year.
Getting to and from Muscat Airport
There is no rail or metro link to Muscat Airport. The airport sits beside the Sultan Qaboos Highway, the main road along the coast, and driving is the usual way to reach it. The journey to Mutrah and the old town takes 30 to 40 minutes, and the Al Mouj and Qurum districts are closer. Car hire is popular because public transport in Oman is limited.
Mwasalat runs 24 hour airport buses at fixed intervals. Route A1 links the airport with Mabela and the Ruwi bus station, and Route 8 runs between Al Mouj and Al Khuwair via the terminal. Fares are a few hundred baisa, which makes the bus the cheapest sensible option. Metered taxis are booked at counters in the arrivals hall, and the app based OTaxi service is cheaper. Multi storey and surface car parks are directly in front of the terminal.
Spotting and Photography
Muscat Airport offers good views for those who know where to look. Arrivals on runway 26 come in from the east along the coast, and public roads and beaches north of the field give views with the mountains behind. The Sultan Qaboos Highway runs along the southern boundary, and the service roads near the threshold of runway 08 show arrivals from the west.
The terminal’s departure pier has long glass walls over the apron and the Oman Air stands. Oman is a relaxed country but security at the airport is strict, and the military side on the south of the field must never be photographed. Stay on public roads and beaches, do not use tripods near fences and be courteous if approached by the Royal Oman Police.
What Comes Next
The 2018 terminal was designed for expansion in phases, from 20 million passengers to 24 million and eventually 48 million. Oman Air is restructuring after years of losses, trimming its fleet while deepening the oneworld tie up, and SalamAir is growing fast. The airport’s fortunes are tied to how the two carriers balance each other.
Oman’s national plan, Vision 2040, targets a steep rise in visitors, and the airport has room for all of it. Capacity will not be the constraint for a generation. Muscat Airport is heading for recovery to pre pandemic levels and then steady growth as a quieter alternative to the mega hubs next door. Compare it with Dubai and Doha on the Airports of the World map.
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