At the official opening of the new Muscat International Airport Terminal 1, all eyes were on Oman’s emerging aviation segment. Built at a cost of USD 5 billion, this large state-of-the-art terminal, north of the old Terminal 2 actually commenced operations on March 20, 2018. The new terminal is a sea change from the old with an initial yearly capacity of 20 million passengers which can be expanded to 56 million passengers per annum. There are 118 checkin counters, 22 departure immigration counters and 9 e-gates, 40 arrival immigration counters and 16 e-gates, and ample retail, food and beverage outlets.
The new terminal has 40 aerobridges through 29 contact stands with two Code F gates capable of handling the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8. There are 10 baggage reclaim belts (eight for International and two for domestic) with a capacity of 5200 bags/hour.
Infrastructural features
Chief Executive Officer of Oman Airports, Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni gives an insight into the capacity expansion plans of the new Muscat International Airport, “The initial capacity of 20 million passengers is just Phase I of our project as we currently have 15 million annual passengers. We will move to Phase II which is an annual capacity of 40 million when the passenger numbers hit 18 million. Phase III will see an annual capacity of 70 million and Phase IV have an annual capacity of 100 million.”
Currently about 60 per cent of operations at the new Muscat International Airport are by Oman Air and the airport handles a total of about 370 flights daily.
Oman Air has a First and Business Lounge built at a cost of USD15 million complete with a private family room, business centre, play room and spa.
Additionally, the airport also accommodates a Primeclass Lounge for all other First and Business Class passengers, which is located right next to Oman Air Lounge with similar facilities and with four private hotel-style rooms which travellers can checkin to.
INTEGRATING OMAN AS A DESTINATION
Oman Aviation Group CEO, Mustafa bin Mohammed al Hinai emphasised on their strategy to make Oman not just a business destination but also a leisure destination. “Oman as a country is not about tall buildings or fancy streets, it’s about nature. We have over 3,300 beaches, nearly four seasons in terms of weather. If you go to the mountains of Jebel Akhdar you will get mild winter, if you go to the beaches of Ras al Hadd in the east it will be breezy, if you go to the Ad Dakhiliyah or Nizwa region in central Oman you will get summer. This gives us an advantage of diversity, which reflects in over 90 per cent occupancy rates across most hotels in Muscat especially around this time of the year – beginning early-November till mid-March which is the peak season.”
OPERATIONS BY INDIAN CARRIERS
Among Indian carriers, Jet Airways, Air India Express, SpiceJet and IndiGo operate flights to Oman with Jet Airways slated to cease operations to Oman from February 10, 2019. Oman Air is the only carrier from Oman to fly to eleven destinations across India namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Kozhikode and Jaipur from their base Muscat.
Oman Air wants to further expand its passenger base in India for which it plans to increase their number of weekly seats from 27,000 to 70,000 between the two destinations.“We always prefer having an Open Skies treaty with all of our partner nations. If any country does not offer us that then we reciprocate the terms they offer us,” adds Mustafa bin Mohammed al Hinai.
ON VISA REGUALTIONS
On the subject of visa regulations for tourists and a possible visa-on-arrival or visa-free travel for Indian nationals, the Omani Minister for Civil Aviation and Telecommunication, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Al Futaisi, said, “We are looking at relaxing visa regulations to facilitate greater inflow of tourists and this subject is currently being discussed at the government level.”
The hike in seats will also require more or larger planes to fly the extra passengers. Al Hinai added, “We are also going for a major expansion of Oman Air by increasing our widebody aircraft fleet around 2019. Aided by a strong feeder from the Indian subcontinent and the GCC insync, expanding in capacity is our vision. We are looking to expand to the US and Canada but, for now it will be via code-share arrangements.”
ROUTES ON THE OMAN AIR NETWORK
Aside from India, Oman Air also flies to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan; Kathmandu in Nepal; and Colombo in Sri Lanka. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta in the Far East, Guangzhou in China and Nairobi in Kenya. Its European destinations are London, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Paris and Zurich.
Oman Air’s new destinations for 2018 are Istanbul (Turkey) which commenced on June 1, Casablanca (Morocco) on July 1, and Moscow (Russia) on October 28, and the carrier resumed operations to Maldives on October 28, respectively.
PLAZA PREMIUM LOUNGE
The airport has a Plaza Premium Lounge for Economy Class travellers with a seating capacity of 120 people – 85 guest seats, 12 dining seats, 12 bar seats and five napping rooms. Additionally, a smoking room, children’s play area and a 4 seat Business Centre.
Prices: For two hours lounge access: OMR 11/INR 2,040 per person
For five hours lounge access: OMR 16/INR 2,968 per person.
Vishal Jolapara
