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AirHelp’s analysis of flights operated under Oman’s Passenger Rights Protection Regulation between September 2025 and August 2026 identified an estimated 117,000 passengers who qualified for compensation due to long delays, cancellations or denied boarding. The company said those passengers could collectively be owed millions of euros, though it stopped short of providing a precise aggregate figure or details on claims already paid. Introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority in 2024, the regulation establishes some of the region’s most comprehensive passenger protections and sets compensation levels that mirror aspects of the European Union’s EC 261 framework.
The regulation applies to every flight departing from an Omani airport regardless of the operating carrier as well as flights arriving in Oman on Omani airlines including Oman Air and SalamAir, according to AirHelp. On international services, passengers become eligible for compensation when they reach their final destination more than six hours late, when a flight is cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice or when they are denied boarding against their will. Airlines face no liability when disruptions stem from force majeure events or when passengers are rerouted to arrive within two hours of the original schedule, the company explained.
Compensation scales with flight distance, AirHelp data shows, starting at 108 rials for journeys shorter than 1,500 kilometres, rising to 173 rials for medium-haul routes between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres and reaching 260 rials for longer flights. Services linking Muscat with London, Paris and Frankfurt fall into the top tier that attracts the maximum payout. The analysis coincides with a period in which Omani airports handled more than 14 million passengers annually, according to figures from the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
National Centre for Statistics and Information statistics recorded 14.9 million passengers through Oman’s airports in 2025, a 2.8 percent increase from the previous year. That volume highlights the potential reach of the passenger rights rules that took effect in 2024. Yet AirHelp reported that thousands of travellers appear to be leaving entitled compensation unclaimed, often because they remain unaware of their legal entitlements.
Beyond cash payouts, the Civil Aviation Authority rules mandate that airlines offer refreshments after a two-hour delay, a meal after three hours and hotel accommodation with transfers when waits exceed six hours. Passengers denied those services can claim additional amounts measured in special drawing rights, the authority’s framework states. The regulation further addresses lost or damaged baggage with protection up to 1,288 special drawing rights, AirHelp noted in its overview of the law.
Oman Air, the national carrier, transported almost 6 million passengers in 2025, representing an 8 percent rise from 2024, company figures show. The growth in traffic amplifies the significance of consistent application of the passenger rights regulation across the network. AirHelp, which assists passengers in filing claims, urged eligible travellers to verify their flights against the criteria and pursue any owed compensation.
