Muscat: Responding to social media posts quoting SalamAir CEO’s statement on high ticket fares to Salalah, owing to tax of nearly OMR 20 per ticket, the CAA issued a clarification and stated that it will coordinate with the management of SalamAir as a strategic partner to find out the reasons behind the statement.

It may be noted here that Captain Mohammed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, had said – on the sidelines of a Third Arab Forum for Tourism Media in Dhofar Governorate – that the airline was not considering any increase in the number of flights to Salalah due to high taxes included in each ticket. He indicated that any increase in the number of flights would mean incurring loss.

The Civil Aviation Authority, in response, stated it had it had conducted an analytical study on the fees imposed on domestic flights, including fees charged by the Authority, such as departure fees and air navigation fees, as well as fees charged by Oman Airports Company – aircraft landing and parking fees, and noted that the study indicated that the fees amounted to, during the month of July 2023, OMR 8.857 per passenger on the two round trips between Muscat International Airport and Salalah Airport.
“The presence of two ground handling companies at Muscat International Airport enhances the chances of airlines obtaining competitive prices for services, and there is no interference from the Authority in the operating costs of airlines, including their agreements with service providers,” it stated, adding that it is continuing to coordinate with concerned authorities and strategic partners to ensure concerted efforts in order to provide all means to reduce the prices of domestic flights and ensure their availability to cover the market need.

“In this context, the authority will coordinate with the management of SalamAir as a strategic partner,” it said.

The Authority stressed that the increase in air traffic is a positive indicator of the recovery of the civil aviation sector from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and expressed its willingness to cooperate with any of the national carriers to overcome the challenges they face in order to accelerate the recovery of the civil aviation sector in the Sultanate of Oman.