Monday 26 / January / 2026
Muscat: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) today, during its media briefing in Muscat, reviewed the National Aviation Strategy 2040 and the most prominent achievements it accomplished during 2025 in the fields of safety, security, air navigation, meteorology, digital transformation, and the development of the regulatory and operational infrastructure of the aviation sector.
Eng. Naif Ali Al Abri, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, affirmed during the media briefing that the National Aviation Strategy 2040 represents a comprehensive, long-term roadmap for developing the civil aviation sector in the Sultanate of Oman. He indicated that it aims to transform the sector from merely a means of transportation into an active economic and developmental engine that supports diversifying the national economy and enhances financial sustainability.
He added that the strategy has set ambitious growth indicators to be achieved by 2040. These include receiving more than 40 million passengers, transporting about one million tons via air cargo, attracting cumulative private sector investments exceeding RO 1 billion, and raising the sector's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to more than 3.5 percent.
He pointed out that the strategy's implementation plan extends over 15 years, distributed across three main phases: the first phase, "the Initiation and Readiness Assurance phase," during the period 2026-2027; the second phase, "the Acceleration and Take-off phase," for the period from 2027 until 2030; and the third phase, "the Soaring phase," for the period from 2030 until 2040. He explained that the strategy was prepared according to an integrated participatory approach with the involvement of more than 60 national entities from within and outside the sector, in addition to engaging the community through 70 meetings and specialized workshops to ensure the initiatives align with the needs of the sector and society.
For his part, Hamid Ahmed Al Barashdi, Director General of Strategic Planning at the Civil Aviation Authority, said: "The launch of the National Aviation Strategy 2040 represents a pivotal milestone in the journey of developing the civil aviation sector, as it is based on 9 fundamental principles that form the foundation for a sustainable aviation sector. It will be implemented through 3 phases encompassing 39 initiatives aimed at enhancing safety, growing the economy, building national competencies, stimulating innovation, digital transformation, and sustainability."
For her part, Rawya Nasser Al Adawi, Acting Director General of Civil Aviation Regulation at the Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed that the Authority achieved advanced results in the field of aviation security during 2025. She indicated that the Sultanate of Oman recorded a compliance rate of 94.4% in the Universal Security Audit Programme with a Continuous Monitoring Approach and a 100% compliance rate for facilitation requirements. She noted that the Authority signed 8 international air transport service agreements and held 21 bilateral negotiation meetings with a number of countries worldwide last year.
She clarified that over 18,000 flight permits were issued for airlines, including diplomatic permits, in addition to issuing 3,627 special permits for aviation obstacles.
In the field of air navigation, Eng. Saleh Abdullah Al Harthy, Director General of Air Navigation at the Civil Aviation Authority, explained that the Authority recorded a total air traffic movement of 643,069 aircraft during 2025, including 585,357 aircraft transiting Omani airspace. He affirmed that these numbers reflect the increasing international confidence in the efficiency and security of Omani airspace.
He added that Omani airports witnessed active traffic, with the number of passengers reaching 15,213,150, reflecting the recovery of the aviation sector and the growth in demand for air transport.
In the field of meteorology, Abdullah Rashid Al Khadouri, Director General of Meteorology at the Civil Aviation Authority, said: "The Authority witnessed a qualitative leap in enhancing the meteorological and early warning system during 2025, through the implementation of a set of strategic projects, most notably the flood modeling index, the launch of the Oman Meteorology website and its accompanying application, along with advanced weather maps for numerical models with a resolution of up to 2.1 kilometers, in addition to activating the unified warnings protocol mechanism."
He pointed out that during 2025, artificial intelligence technologies were introduced for data analysis and issuing weather forecasts. In the same year, the observation, forecasting, and early warning system witnessed notable development, with the number of meteorological observation stations reaching 83 stations.
Regarding the revenues of the Civil Aviation Authority, Hussein Salim Al Rahbi, Director General of Support Services at the Civil Aviation Authority, explained that the Authority's revenues during 2025 exceeded RO 107 million, thereby recording the highest actual collection in its history. This is a direct reflection of financial management efficiency, improved business models, and maximizing resource utilization.
For his part, Mohammed Ahmed Al Yafee, Director General of Civil Aviation in Dhofar Governorate, said that the Authority garnered several institutional awards during 2025, reflecting its level of organizational maturity and quality of performance. He added that these awards are the result of applying modern work methodologies and enhancing a culture of continuous improvement within the Authority.
In response to journalists' inquiries, officials at the Civil Aviation Authority clarified that the completion rate of the aircraft maintenance building at Muscat International Airport has reached 98% and it is expected to be operational this year. Meanwhile, a tender for the construction works of Sohar Airport will be announced, and most technical studies related to the Musandam Airport project have been completed, with its executive plan to be approved during the current year.
