Nearly 50,000 passengers flew on the Muscat-Salalah route, Oman air officials revealed, an increase of more than 20,000 compared with August-September 2011.

The extra flights accounted for 40 per cent of the total number of people travelling to Salalah with Oman Air and the demand for travel also resulted in an average seat factor of 88 per cent for the festive period, a statement from the Sultanate’s flagship carrier said.

Oman Air has recorded a huge surge in traffic between Muscat and Salalah during August and September this year, resulting from increasing demand at the end of the month of Ramadan, the Eid festivities as well as the natural attraction of the Dhofar Khareef season.

The carrier operated 163 extra flights on the domestic route between August 19 and September 8, in addition to the 226 scheduled services, thus offered nearly sixty thousand seats in total - 22,500 more seats than over the same period last year.

Wayne Pearce, CEO, Oman Air, said: “These figures are extremely encouraging and demonstrate both Oman Air’s continuing commitment to investing in travel to Salalah and the popularity of Oman Air’s outstanding services.”

“Oman Air has always been committed to promoting Salalah as an ideal year-round destination for visitors from both within Oman and further afield, and to serving the needs of the people living in the Dhofar region. We are therefore delighted that, as a result of our additional flights and the outstanding deals we have been offering, so many more people are flying with Oman Air and experiencing the beauty and hospitality that Salalah and Dhofar have to offer.”

The number of flights was increased to meet strong demand not only as a result of the traditionally-busy Eid period, but also due to families returning home after a break in Salalah as the schools in the region re-opened after the long annual summer holidays, the statement said.

Oman Air has been actively promoting inbound tourism to Salalah, not just by offering additional flights and special packages, but also by working closely with the Oman Ministry of Tourism and supporting the Salalah Tourism Festival, an annual event that showcases the culture and produce of Oman’s most southerly Governorate.

Hotel capacity in the area continues to grow and, in addition to the airline’s flights between Muscat and Salalah, Oman Air now operates a service between Salalah and Dubai, offering even greater convenience for visitors travelling from destinations around the Gulf region.

Salalah is the ancient principal town in the southern-most Omani Governorate of Dhofar. For hundreds of years it has been a vital trading centre and home to the region’s frankincense trade.

Located between precipitous mountains and the Indian Ocean, the area enjoys a monsoon season unique to southern Arabia and known as the Khareef. This brings cool temperatures and rains during the summer months, providing relief from the heat found elsewhere in the Gulf at this time of year and drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors.

“Oman Air works globally to promote the Sultanate as an exciting destination for holiday-makers and Salalah’s popularity continues to grow, both for domestic travellers and also for regional and international tourists,” Pearce said.

“Our luxurious modern aircraft provides the perfect way to travel to Oman from any one of the 40 international destinations within our ever-expanding network and many new visitors are discovering the unspoilt natural beauty and authentic Arabian hospitality that Salalah has to offer.”

“We look forward to welcoming many more visitors to Salalah, and Oman as a whole, over the coming months. I am happy to state that Oman Air is geared to meet the demands of the passengers during the upcoming Eid Al Adha holidays,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service