Buoyed by the strong post-pandemic recovery of the civil aviation industry, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the Sultanate of Oman has embarked on the formulation of a blueprint to underpin the sector’s long-term development.
The proposed National Aviation Strategy 2040 aims to “meet the current and future” growth needs of the civil aviation sector in Oman, according to the Authority. To this end, it has invited qualified international consultants to bid for its contract to provide advisory services in the delivery of a roughly 20-year strategy to drive the growth of this key sector.
Importantly, the new blueprint will seek to build on the existing National Aviation Strategy 2030, which was first unveiled three years ago in early 2020 just as the coronavirus pandemic began its devastating sweep across the globe. That ambitious plan envisioned a dominant role for the aviation sector as a key pillar of economic growth.
The existing 2030 Strategy enshrines a commitment to, among other goals, the development of an effective organisational framework that contributes to supporting and developing the aviation sector, strengthening the Omani economy, creating job opportunities, building manpower and strengthening stakeholder capabilities and expertise.
Importantly, the 2030 Strategy aims to enable Oman’s aviation sector to compete on a global level with the goal of securing a bigger share of the international aviation market. Furthermore, the Strategy targets the development of an air logistics sector through the formulation of a comprehensive air freight strategy that is intended to maintain air freight market share and support national industries in global markets.
In addition, a logistics services regional centre is proposed to be established for international companies, which will increase freight traffic through Oman’s airports through a number of initiatives including marketing the sector, allocating free zones to airport cities, achieving customs efficiency, and growing the availability of marine-air links.
Among the major projects envisioned for implementation as part of the National Aviation Strategy 2030 is a new Airport City at Muscat International Airport. Consisting of five key components, Muscat Airport City will be anchored by an Airport Free Zone devoted to light industries and storage activities for air freight, e-commerce, manufacturing and packaging of national products, in addition to aviation equipment and office spaces. Dedicated areas for logistics, business, aviation and hospitality are proposed as well.
Additionally, with the goal of driving tourism growth, the 2030 Strategy seeks to support the launch of a National Travel Operator -- a digital platform that effectively connects Omani travel providers with customers in target markets, while also enhancing Oman’s tourism image in these markets. The National Travel Operator will cover companies operating in the travel sector, such as public transport providers, hotels and airlines with global commercial markets, most notably in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and India alongside the Gulf countries and others.
Interested consultancy firms have until February 28, 2023 to submit their bids for the contract.
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