MUSCAT: Muscat International Airport, formerly Seeb Airport, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday. The airport originally featured one passenger terminal building, one runway, and minor cargo and maintenance facilities.
Netherlands Airport Consultancy Company (NACO) was awarded the design contract and the responsibility to supervise the construction, while Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas) Ltd was awarded the tender to build the runway, taxiways, and aircraft stands.
The first phase of the airport would consist of preparation and construction of the runway, passageways, and aircraft berths.
Three years later, on January 1, 1973, Seeb International Airport opened for operations.
On September 23, 1973, the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said conducted official inspections of the airport himself before he officially inaugurated it on December 23, the same year.
The late His Majesty the Sultan's private plane was the first aircraft with an Omani registration to land at the Seeb International Airport.
During the expansion from late 2007, a new terminal and control tower were built along with a new runway as the new airport opened for traffic in 2018.
The name of the Seeb International Airport was changed to Muscat International Airport on February 1, 2008.
Facilities now include a VIP terminal for private jets and an onsite airport hotel.
Muscat International Airport is ranked 10th in the list of the best airports in the world in the field of services and passenger satisfaction, according to the Airports Council International, it has jumped 53 places since 2018 within its capacity category of 10-25 million passengers.
It was ranked the Best New Leading Airport in 2018 during the World Travel Awards in Lisbon, Portugal.
There are currently 35 airlines operating from the airport.
AirHelp, the world's largest air passenger rights organisation, recently unveiled its annual comprehensive score, offering an evaluation of airports and airlines globally.
In this extensive analysis, 83 leading airlines were rated for punctuality, customer opinion, and claim processing, using data collected between January 1 and September 30, 2023.
Among airports, Muscat International Airport claimed the top spot globally, showcasing an average score of 8.54 points.
Muscat scores 8.4 for on-time performance, 8.7 for customer opinion, and 8.9 for shops.
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