Oman to charge travellers to transit through its airports

From January 1, tourists transferring to another flight in Oman will have to pay for the privilege

Travellers transiting in Oman will have to pay a OMR3 fee from January. Unsplash

Oman is set to start charging travellers using the sultanate as a transfer destination between flights.

From January 1, transit passengers landing at airports in Oman will have to pay a OMR3 ($7.8) departure fee before catching their next flight.

The news comes after the Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT amended the Civil Aviation Law to include transit passengers. Previously, only travellers flying internationally from Oman were charged a departure fee.

Quarantine time slashed

Oman has also shortened the length of quarantine that international travellers arriving in the sultanate need to observe.

People arriving in Oman now only need to self-isolate for seven days, reduced from the previous 14-day requirement for anyone staying in the country longer than a week.

The Supreme Committee tasked with dealing with Covid-19 announced the update to the rule.

Everyone arriving in Oman must still show a negative Covid-19 test result before boarding their flight and take another test upon arrival. The quarantine period after this is now seven days, with a follow up PCR test required to be taken on the eighth day.

Travellers visiting Oman for less than seven days can end their quarantine after they receive the result of their negative PCR test conducted at the airport.

Oman reopened for international flights on October 1 after closing its borders for more than seven months in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus via air travel.