New Muscat International Airport terminal to open by year-end

The long-delayed new passenger terminal at Muscat International Airport will be operational by the end of this year, Oman’s transport minister has said.

Oman News Agency quoted Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Futaisi as confirming the plans at a media meeting.

“Dr al-Futaisi affirmed the operational readiness stage of the passenger terminal at Muscat International Airport. The airport scheduled to open by the end of 2017,” according to the report.

The terminal was originally due for completion in early 2014 but was hit by repeated delays due to illegal workers, technical difficulties and other issues.

Read: Muscat airport expansion plan faces further delay – official

Another official, Public Authority for Civil Aviation CEO Dr Mohammed bin Nasser al-Za’abi, was quoted as saying the terminal was 96 per cent complete and there was ongoing work on the rehabilitation and maintenance of the airport’s old runway.

Another passenger terminal at Duqm Airport is also 50 per cent complete, the official said. A $94m contract for the project was awarded to L&T Oman in 2014.

He also added that tenders had been analysed for an airport at Musandam. Preliminary studies are being conducted at sites of Al Haraf, Bukha, Lima and Khasab airport for four months, according to the official, with a second detailed study to take a year.

The new Muscat terminal has a capacity for 12 million passengers for year but airport officials intend to grow the airport’s capacity to 48 million through expansion work.

The site will feature 118 check-in counters and 82 immigration counters, 40 gates and shops and restaurants.

Times of Oman cited Oman Air CEO Gregorowitsch as saying the company was concerned by the availability of only one runway.

Other plans outlined at the meeting include the establishment of a holding company for information, technology and communication and a communication towers company by the private sector to help fund Oman Broadband Company.