SalamAir

Is SalamAir safe?

Yes. Oman's low-cost airline has flown since 2017 without an accident, a death or a lost aircraft, and its fleet is almost entirely new Airbus A320neos and A321neos. We score it 82, below Oman Air (84), the country's older national airline, and close to Jazeera Airways (82) in Kuwait.

The catch is the short history and two serious incidents in 2024. Nine years of clean flying with about 20 aircraft is a good start, but it is less evidence than decades of it. Oman's investigators are still looking at two events at Muscat, one between two SalamAir jets and one involving a terrain warning.

What happened at Muscat in 2024?

Both events happened on descent into SalamAir's home airport, and neither caused damage or injuries.

• 13 May 2024. Two SalamAir A321neos, one from Duqm and one from Fujairah, were descending towards Muscat when both crews got collision-avoidance alerts and then instructions to climb or descend (TCAS resolution advisories). ADS-B data showed the aircraft passing through the same altitude about 3.5 nautical miles apart, closing to about 2.2 miles and 600 feet. Oman's investigators rated it a serious incident.
• 30 September 2024. An A321neo from Salalah was on a visual approach to Muscat at about 5,000 feet when the ground-proximity system called "terrain ahead". The crew climbed to 8,000 feet, turned away and landed about nine minutes later. Oman rated this one a serious incident too.

A near miss between two aircraft is usually as much about air traffic control as about either crew, and a terrain warning that is followed at once is the system working. Still, two serious incidents in one year for an airline of fewer than 20 jets is enough to cost points. Neither final report is out.

Before 2024 the record is short and minor: tyre damage on departure from Sohar in 2017 and a bird strike at Muscat in 2019.

What does SalamAir fly?

Young Airbus jets of one family. CAPA reported the 18th A320neo in July 2026, after two A320s leased from China Aircraft Leasing Group arrived on 30 June, and the A321neos were already in service in 2024, as the Muscat incidents show. The airline aims to reach 25 aircraft by 2028. One type family keeps training and maintenance simple, and the neo is the newest version of the A320. We have not found an average fleet age from the airline, so the fleet score rests on delivery dates.

Who regulates SalamAir?

The Civil Aviation Authority of Oman, the same regulator as Oman Air. No Omani airline flies to the US, so the FAA has not rated Oman; that means "not assessed", not a downgrade. No Omani airline is on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary, and SalamAir is an IATA member, so it passes an IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit every two years. Oman's investigators do publish preliminary ratings of events, as with the two 2024 cases, but few full reports in English.

Is it safe to fly SalamAir during the Iran conflict?

Muscat has stayed open, which matters most. Oman did not close its airspace when the war began on 28 February 2026. SalamAir instead cut the routes into the war zone: on 7 March it suspended Kuwait, Sharjah, Doha and Dammam until 20 March, and Iraq, Lebanon and Iran until 28 March, citing closed airspace. After attacks in Kuwait and Lebanon in early June, it stopped Kuwait flights until 16 July and Beirut flights until 17 July.

EASA's bulletin CZIB-2026-07R3, valid to 16 November 2026, covers the Muscat FIR. It advises European airlines not to fly over the Gulf of Oman west of 58°E and to take care over Omani land; Muscat airport lies just east of that line. The Oman country page covers the drone strikes on Omani ports. SalamAir's network adds Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the mountains just inland of Muscat explain why terrain warnings on visual approaches get investigated there.

Flying SalamAir: practical points

• Check the route status before you book. War-time suspensions to Kuwait, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon have been extended at short notice.
• Book connections on one ticket. A self-made connection through a Gulf hub is the trip most likely to break when airspace shuts.
• Keep your seat belt fastened when seated. On a short-haul airline with a clean record, turbulence is the injury risk you can control.

How we scored it

The accident record (88) is clean but short, the usual yardstick for a young airline. The fleet (90) is young and of one modern family. Oversight (80) matches Oman Air's: IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary and no EU listing, but no FAA assessment. Incidents (72) carry the two open 2024 cases, and the environment (66) reflects the Gulf conflict next door with Omani airspace still open. Overall 82.