Muscat: Muscat International Airport and Salalah Airport have won a combined nine international awards at the Airports Council International (ACI) Customer Experience Awards, reinforcing Oman’s growing reputation for delivering world-class airport services and passenger experiences.

The honours were presented during the ACI World Airport Experience Summit 2026, hosted in Istanbul, Türkiye, from August 31 to September 4. The global event brought together aviation leaders and customer experience professionals from around the world and celebrated airports demonstrating excellence based on passenger feedback.

Muscat International Airport secured four awards in the Middle East, including Best Airport at Departures in the 5–15 million passengers per year category, Most Dedicated Staff, Most Enjoyable Airport, and Cleanest Airport.

Salalah Airport received five awards, winning Best Airport at Departures in the under two million passengers category, along with Most Dedicated Staff, Easiest Airport Journey, Most Enjoyable Airport, and Cleanest Airport.

The recognition further strengthens the position of the two airports in passenger experience and service quality and reflects the collective efforts of Oman Airports employees, partners and teams operating across the airport community.

The Airport Service Quality awards are particularly significant as they are based on direct feedback from travellers. ACI’s ASQ programme gathers passenger responses at airports in real time and evaluates the travel experience across different stages of the passenger journey. More than 700,000 passenger voices are collected worldwide each year through the programme.

Saud bin Nasser Al Hubaishi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Oman Airports, said the international recognition reflected passengers’ confidence in the services offered at Muscat International Airport and Salalah Airport.

He said the awards give the airports a prominent presence at one of the world’s leading events dedicated to airport experience while further strengthening the Sultanate of Oman’s aviation sector in the areas of service quality and passenger experience.

Al Hubaishi added that the recognition supports the role played by the two airports in facilitating travel and tourism while enhancing Oman’s domestic and international air connectivity.

He highlighted the Most Dedicated Staff awards as particularly significant, saying they represented direct recognition of the human element behind the airport experience.

According to Al Hubaishi, the experience enjoyed by passengers is the result of teamwork and continuous coordination between Oman Airports employees, partners and the various entities operating within the airport community, from operational teams and passenger services to the many touchpoints travellers encounter throughout their journeys.

He stressed that the latest achievement was the result of commitment, teamwork and strong partnerships, adding that Oman Airports would continue working to enhance the passenger experience and strengthen the position of the Sultanate of Oman’s airports regionally and internationally.