A senior airport official said Oman plans to award a dozen contracts worth billions of dollars this year to build and upgrade the nation’s airports in order to increase trade and tourism. The government will build four airports, in Duqm, Adam, Sohar, and Ras al Hadd, and upgrade facilities n Salaleh and Muscat.
George Bellew, chief executive of Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), said Oman’s airport plans rival even Dubai’s, where plans are well known and include the construction of six new runways. Bellew, speaking about Dubai’s airport plans, said “They are really best practice in terms of specifications. This is a very long vision they are taking.” He said contracts for the biggest elements of Oman’s development plans will be awarded within the next few months, including a new terminal at Muscat International Airport. The facility will cost about US$1.5 billion (Dh4.51bn) and accommodate 12 million passengers a year.