The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is developing an online platform (Tahleeq) to register and manage licences for operating unmanned aircraft (drones) for various purposes in the country.
The project, which is in the final stages, will also manage and control the movement of aircraft, according to Naif bin Ali al Abri, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
In February last year, a project was launched to deliver parcels by drones was launched in the Sultanate of Oman, while a licence was issued for the first training institution in the field of drones.
It may be noted that the global drone market size is forecast to reach $55.8 billion by 2026 at 7.8 per cent, with the commercial market growing at 8.3 per cent.
Al Abri also said, “The Civil aviation sector of the Sultanate of Oman has made rapid progress over the five decades with the country’s airports competing with the best in the world. The government has signed bilateral air travel and open skies agreements with several countries to attract more airlines to the country and boost the sector’s contribution to the GDP.”
He added, that to consolidate the goals of Oman Vision 2040 by diversifying sources of income through a focus on sectors such as tourism, commercial civil flights were launched in the Wilayat of Masirah on November 3 while licences were permitted to Salam Air to operate regular flights to Duqm Airport.
These efforts follow the constant efforts to operate commercial flights to and from several international destinations, which will also help expand the services of two national airlines, Oman Air and Salam Air, to different markets.
The Sultanate of Oman has 122 air transport agreements, including 66 agreements on open skies, while a final agreement will be signed with the EU.
A licence will also be issued to operate amphibious aircraft services that will link tourist attractions in the Sultanate of Oman with commercial flights.
There has been an increase in the number of international and domestic flights arriving and departing through the various airports of the Sultanate of Oman until the end of October 2022.
The number of international flights arriving and departing from the airports of Muscat, Salalah, and Suhar recorded a growth of 137.6 per cent, from 21,466 flights in 2021.
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