Recently, the Muscat International Airport “welcomed the world” to its major opening, making it an evening of Omani pride and celebration.
The event, organized under the patronage of Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Oman’s Council of Ministers, was a “spectacular visual expression of Oman’s rich heritage and diverse cultural tapestry, and set the scene for the Sultanate’s ambitious vision for the future of its aviation industry”, as per a press statement.
Commercially introduced in March 2018, Muscat International Airport is one of the “cornerstones in Oman’s tourism strategy” to draw more inbound travelers worldwide. “As the main gateway to its capital, Muscat, and a stepping stone to the country’s pristine beaches, coastline and interior regions, the ultramodern airport welcomed 11,419,791 passengers between January and September 2018 — a 9.8% increase over the same period last year,” the statement noted.
Oman’s Minister of Transport and Communications Dr Ahmed al-Futaisi echoed on the role of the airport as an enabler to the tourism as the country keeps on pushing to become one of the well-known tourist destinations in the Middle East.
With new airports, strong government investing and a nationwide initiation to help and facilitate tourism and transportation, Oman “is turning this safe, secure and sunny country into one of the world’s premiere travel destinations”, the statement added.
Proposals are there for rising number of passengers to 40mn every year by 2040, and developing the country’s flagship airline – Oman Air – into the #1 destination airline in the Middle East and North Africa.
