Skip to main content
Parvazyar
فارسی
← All airports

MCT

Muscat International Airport

Muscat (Seeb), Oman

Muscat International Airport is one passenger terminal building. Connecting passengers walk to a transfer area with transfer counters, pass one security check, then go up one level to the gates by lift, stairs or escalator. We found no free buggy service on the official pages, so if walking is hard, ask your airline for a wheelchair when you book. The airport website is in English and Arabic.

Airport staff speak English at every airport in these guides. Showing the help card, or the title of the step you are on, is enough; you do not need the local language.

Send this guide to the traveler

Put it on their phone before the trip, so it is there at the airport even without you.

Send on TelegramSend on WhatsApp

Both flights on ONE ticket

Your bags go through. You only change planes.

  1. Leave the plane with all your hand luggage

    Take every bag you carried on board. If your checked bags were sent through to your final airport, you do not collect them in Muscat. The airport asks you to double check at check-in, at your first airport, that your bags are checked through to the final destination. Keep your bag tag receipts with your passport.

  2. Look for TRANSFER or CONNECTING PASSENGERS

    The airport says passengers transferring through Muscat are directed to a transfer area. Its page uses the words 'Transfer' and 'Connecting Passengers', but we could not confirm the exact wording or colour of the signboards. Do not go towards passport control or baggage claim. If you are unsure, show your next boarding pass or ticket to anyone in a uniform and say the word 'transfer'.

  3. No boarding pass yet? Go to the transfer counters first

    The transfer area has transfer counters for passengers who did not get a boarding pass for the next flight at their first airport, who missed a connection, or who want a seat change. Show your passport and ticket. If you already have your next boarding pass, you can go straight to security.

  4. Pass the transfer security check

    All transferring passengers go through a security screening area where hand luggage is scanned. Have your boarding pass ready. Take off metal items and put bags on the belt. If you find it hard to stand for long, or need help with your bags, tell the security staff before your turn.

  5. No passport control if you stay inside the airport

    Oman's official aviation rules say that no documents or visas are required of passengers transferring to another flight at the same airport without entering Oman. So on one booking, with your bags sent through, you do not pass immigration and you do not need an Omani visa. These steps are for a connection between two international flights. If your next flight is inside Oman, ask your airline before you travel, because we could not confirm those steps.

  6. Go up one level to the gates and be there early

    After security the airport says you can go to the departure gate on the level above using the centrally located lifts, stairs or escalator. Look at the flight screens for your flight number and gate. The airport and Oman Air give different times for when boarding closes, so be at your gate at least 40 minutes before departure. If you are not sure when boarding closes, ask the staff at the gate or at the flight information desk.

  7. If you have a long wait

    The duty free area after security is made for passengers with long transfer times. Free sleeping seats are at the end of the departure hall, first come first served. For free Wi-Fi with a foreign phone, show your boarding pass and passport at the flight information desk opposite the duty free area and they give you a password that works for two hours at a time.

  8. If you are lost or the gate is not shown

    Go back to the transfer counters or to the flight information desk opposite the duty free area and show your boarding pass. The airport's flight enquiries line is +968 24351234, 24 hours. Check the screens again before you walk to the gate, because gates can change.

Flights on SEPARATE tickets

You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.

  1. Follow the signs for ARRIVALS, IMMIGRATION and BAGGAGE CLAIM

    With separate tickets your bags are usually not sent through, so you normally collect them and enter Oman. Leave the plane with your hand luggage and follow the arrivals signs to passport control. Check the entry rules for your passport at home before you travel, because entering Oman may need a visa or proof of a return ticket, hotel booking, insurance and money.

  2. Passport control

    Show your passport at an immigration counter. Oman's Foreign Ministry lists Iran among the countries whose visitors are exempt from an entry visa for stays up to 14 days, but it says the visitor needs a passport valid for six months, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and enough money. The airport itself says to check with the nearest Omani embassy or your airline. If you must pay a visa fee on arrival, the airport operator says payment is in cash, and foreign currency is accepted with change given in Omani rials.

  3. Collect your bags

    There are three baggage belts in the arrivals hall. The screens show when the bags from your flight are being delivered, but not always the belt number, so ask the staff which belt is yours. Trolleys are free. A porter service can take you and your bags all the way to the public arrivals area. Customs may X-ray your bags before you leave the baggage hall.

  4. Go to the departures floor and check in again

    Walk out through the arrivals hall and go to the departures level. Find your next airline's check-in counter on the departure screens and check in your bags again. The airport recommends arriving three hours before departure. Oman Air closes its counters 60 minutes before departure. If you need a wheelchair for this part, the Passengers with Reduced Mobility office is signposted in the departures area at the forecourt, and ground staff help you from check-in to the aircraft.

  5. Passport control and security again before your gate

    After check-in, follow the signs for DEPARTURES. Before the gates you pass passport control and a security check; the official pages do not say in which order, so keep your passport and new boarding pass in your hand until you reach the gate area. The airport says there is a dedicated path and immigration counter for passengers with reduced mobility, with ground markings to follow. Then find your gate on the screens and go up to the gate level. If you are unsure where to go, show your boarding pass to anyone in a uniform.

  6. Give yourself plenty of time

    No official minimum connection time is published for Muscat. On separate tickets you have to collect bags, pass immigration, check in again and clear security. The airport's own FAQ says you need at least six hours of transit time to leave the airport and come back. As plain advice for an older traveler, plan at least four hours, and more if your first flight is often late. Nobody has to hold your second plane for you on separate tickets.

  7. If you miss your second flight

    Go to your second airline's check-in desk or transfer counter straight away. Oman Air's conditions of carriage say it takes no liability for making connections unless both flights are on one booking, so on separate tickets the second airline may not rebook you for free. Keep the airline's phone number and your booking reference with you.

Passport control

If you are on one booking and your bags are sent through, you stay inside the secure area and there is no passport control. Oman's official aviation rules (AIP GEN 1.3) say no documents or visas are required of passengers transferring to another flight at the same airport without entering Oman. This applies to Iranian passport holders too. If you have to collect bags, go to the landside check-in hall, or want to leave the airport, you enter Oman and must pass immigration. Oman's Foreign Ministry lists Iran in the first group of countries exempt from an entry visa for up to 14 days, on condition of a passport valid for six months, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and enough money for the stay. The airport says all visitors other than GCC nationals need a visa and to check with the nearest Omani embassy or your airline, so ask your airline before you fly which rule applies to you. The airport FAQ says you may leave the airport during transit only if you have at least six hours, and to call the Royal Oman Police first on +968 24518746. A separate transit visa for up to 72 hours exists, but the Oman government page says the airline must apply for it, for a fee of 5 rials, so ask your airline.

Getting around

Muscat has one passenger terminal building, so there are no buses or trains between terminals. After the transfer security check the gates are on the level above, reached by the central lifts, stairs or escalators. The official pages mention gates A, B and C, a North Pier, a South Pier at Gate B and a West Pier at Gate C, but they publish no map, gate numbers or walking times. The Primeclass lounge is on the fifth floor after passport control, the Majan lounge on the seventh floor, and the Aerotel transit hotel on level five inside the secure area. We found no free buggy service on the official pages. Wheelchair or electric cart help between gates comes from your airline, so ask for it when you book. A paid Primeclass transit service meets you at the gate with a buggy, for 50 rials including VAT per person.

Wheelchair and special help here

Ask your airline, not the airport. The airport says the airlines provide the wheelchair service and that you must tell your airline in advance or when you book. Oman Air says to ask its reservation staff for help such as transport to and from the gates by wheelchair or electric cart, and boarding help. Oman Air's conditions of carriage say this help is subject to prior arrangement and that the airline may refuse a passenger who did not say at booking what help they need. Ask for help on every flight of the trip, including the connection in Muscat, and ask the airline to confirm it in the booking. Ask at the same time whether any medical form is needed and by when, because the official pages do not say.

For a departure from Muscat, the Passengers with Reduced Mobility office is clearly signposted in the departures area at the forecourt, before check-in. Ground handling staff then help you from check-in until you board, using a dedicated path and immigration counter with ground markings. For a connection you are already inside the secure area. The help should come from the airline's ground staff, but we could not confirm where they meet you; no official page describes an airside meeting point for connecting passengers. If nobody meets you at the aircraft, go to the transfer counters and show your boarding pass. For urgent medical help, the airport says departing passengers should contact the flight information desk.

The official pages do not say whether the airline wheelchair service is free, or how many hours before the flight it must be requested, so ask when you book. The paid Primeclass transit service meets you at the gate with a name sign and a buggy, helps at the transfer desk and security, gives three hours in the Primeclass lounge and takes you to the gate by buggy. It costs 50 rials including VAT per person (the airport page shows it as 47.62 rials plus VAT, which is the same price). Oman Air sells it online; if you book it less than 48 hours before your flight, Oman Air says to contact Primeclass directly on +968 98264399 or oman.sales@tav.aero so they can arrange it. A Primeclass porter costs 4 rials per trolley, at departures entrance A and in the arrivals baggage hall. The paid fast track lane (9.53 rials plus VAT) gives no personal help.

Where to ask for help

Transfer counters are in the transfer area, after you leave the plane and before the transfer security check. Flight information desks are opposite the duty free area after security, where staff also give the free Wi-Fi password. The airport's 24 hour flight enquiries line is +968 24351234. A tourist information desk is in the arrivals baggage hall, open 24 hours, but that is landside after immigration. For lost items there is a Royal Oman Police office on the ground floor, +968 24355880. For visa and immigration questions at the airport the Royal Oman Police number is +968 24353411, and the eVisa call centre is +968 24290942 or +968 24290826. Oman Air lost and found is +968 24355100. The airport website is in English and Arabic; Persian is not mentioned.

Rest and comfort

Free sleeping seats are at the end of the departure hall, first come first served. Prayer rooms for men and women are in the A and B parts of the departures area. Restrooms are signposted everywhere. The Primeclass lounge on the fifth floor after passport control is open 24 hours. Entry for three hours costs about 20 to 25 rials per person, because two official airport pages give different prices, so ask the price at the door. It has a prayer area, showers and a relaxing zone. The Majan lounge is on the seventh floor of departures, price not given. The Aerotel transit hotel is on level five inside the secure area, with 90 rooms that can be booked by the hour, +968 24356555. Free Wi-Fi works for two hours at a time; with a foreign phone get the password at the flight information desk opposite duty free. A pharmacy is airside near Gate B beside the Plenty restaurant, +968 24356879. First aid rooms are in the North Pier and South Pier; for urgent medical help contact the flight information desk. ATMs are in the transit area opposite duty free. Currency exchange counters are open 24 hours after immigration and towards gates A and B, with another at the West Pier at Gate C. The smoking area is in the departures transit area. Free drinking water fountains are not mentioned on the official pages, so buy water after security if you need it.

My help card

Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.

I am traveling alone. I need help to find my connecting flight. Please show me the way, or call someone who can help me. Thank you.

You can type the details here before printing. They stay on this device only.

Partly checked against official pages.

What we could not confirm (21)
  • We could not confirm the exact wording or colour of the transfer signs. The airport page uses the headings 'Transfer' and 'Connecting Passengers' and says passengers 'will be directed to this area'; it does not show the signboards.
  • We could not confirm where exactly the transfer security check is. The airport only says the gates are on the level above it, reached by central lifts, stairs or escalators.
  • We could not confirm the layout of the piers. The airport pages name a North Pier, a South Pier (Gate B), a West Pier (Gate C) and a direction 'towards Gate A', but no map, gate numbers or walking times are published.
  • We could not find an official minimum connection time for Muscat on any Oman Air or airport page. The four hour figure for separate tickets is plain advice; the six hours comes from the airport FAQ about leaving the airport during transit.
  • We could not open the Royal Oman Police website (rop.gov.om) at all, so the police's own visa pages and exemption list were not read. The Iran exemption comes from the Foreign Ministry page only, and the eVisa wizard's 'Group-1 countries' list could not be displayed, so we could not confirm whether Iranians can apply for an unsponsored tourist eVisa online.
  • We could not confirm how the 14 day visa exemption is applied to a transit passenger on separate tickets who has no hotel booking in Oman, because the Foreign Ministry lists a confirmed hotel reservation, return ticket, health insurance and money as conditions.
  • We could not confirm the current status of visa on arrival for Iranian passports. Oman Air says visa on arrival exists for nationals of over 52 countries without naming them; the airport says to check with the airline or the police.
  • We could not find any official page that says Iranian bank cards do not work in Oman. The only official payment note is that visa-on-arrival fees are paid in cash, with foreign currency accepted, so bring cash or a non-Iranian card.
  • We could not confirm whether the airline wheelchair service is free, how many hours in advance it must be requested, or whether staff meet arriving transfer passengers at the aircraft door; no official page says.
  • We could not find an airside meeting point for connecting passengers who need help. The Passengers with Reduced Mobility office is landside at the departures forecourt.
  • We could not confirm the Primeclass lounge price. Two official airport pages differ (20 rials on the Lounges page, 25 rials including VAT on the Primeclass page), and prices may have changed.
  • We could not confirm the Majan lounge price or entry rules; the official page does not give them.
  • We could not confirm whether the free sleeping seats at the end of the departure hall are after security, or whether they are near the gates.
  • We could not confirm the exact location of the prayer rooms. The airport page says 'A pair and B pair', which we read as the A and B parts of departures.
  • We could not confirm the opening hours of the transfer counters or of the flight information desks; only the phone line is stated as 24 hours.
  • We could not confirm that there are free drinking water fountains; no official page mentions them.
  • We could not confirm how many transfer counters are open today. The operator's development page gives 12 as a planned figure, so the guide gives no number.
  • We could not confirm whether Oman Air needs a medical form (MEDIF) for wheelchair help, or by when it must be sent. The form itself gives no deadline, so ask the airline when you book.
  • We could not confirm whether Persian or Arabic is spoken at the transfer counters; the airport website is in English and Arabic only.
  • We could not confirm the steps for a connection from an international flight to a domestic flight inside Oman. The airport page only describes the opposite direction, from a domestic flight to an international one.
  • We could not confirm one official time for when boarding closes. The airport FAQ says boarding ends 15 minutes before departure, Oman Air's Before You Fly page says gates typically close 30 minutes before, and a 2024 Oman Air notice reported in the press says 40 minutes. The guide uses 40 minutes to be safe.

Airports change signs, gates and rules. This guide is general help, not an official instruction. Always follow the staff and the screens, and check with your airline.

Last prepared 5 November 2026.

Where this comes from (28)