The objective of this work was to study the suitability of catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) for the treatment of olive mill wastewater (OMW). Experiments were performed in a high pressure reactor at 100 and 200 °C under an oxygen partial pressure of 6.9 bar, using carbon supported platinum (1 wt.% Pt) and iridium (5 wt.% Ir) catalysts prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. At 100 °C, refractory organic compounds persisted even after prolonged reaction time (8 h). At 200 °C, complete total organic carbon and colour removal was obtained with the Pt/C catalyst after 8 h of reaction. A kinetic model was developed taking into account catalytic and non-catalytic reactions, formation of refractory compounds and catalyst deactivation. Very good agreement between the proposed model and CWAO experimental data at 200 °C was found. The results obtained in this work indicate that Pt/C is a promising catalyst for the CWAO of OMW.