A new era in Oman aviation sector began with the launch of the new Muscat International Airport (MIA) – one of best, high-class airports in the region -- on March 20, 2018.
The airport is designed to serve 20 million passengers per year in the first phase. The new terminal includes 96 check-in counters, 29 passenger boarding bridges, ten bus boarding lounges, 87 immigration counters (31 for departures, 56 for arrivals) and a 90-room airport hotel.
Duty free and commercial areas have been expanded by ten times from what was available at the previous airport. Apart from 20 self-service check-in kiosks, the airport has parking to accommodate 8,000 cars at any given point of time.
Costing a total of RO 1.7 billion, the new gateway to Oman reflects the nature and tourism potential of Oman the country and the diversity of its topography.
The terminal building spans an area of 580,000 square metres, with a land area of 25.2 million square metres.
It consists of three wings, including 118 flight clearance desks for airliners and 82 desks for travel clearance by the Royal Oman Police (ROP). It has 16 self-service kiosks that will help flyers avoid queues during peak hours.
The airport will undergo further upgrades in three consecutive phases which aims to boost the number of passengers to 24, 36 and 48 million passengers respectively.
At present, the Muscat International Airport is ranked among the top 10 airports in the Middle East, with an average annual growth forecast of 8 per cent.
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