Oman's 'passport' to a bright future

Muscat: With 118 check-in counters, 40 aerial bridges, 149 elevators, close to 5,000 parking spaces, a hotel with 90 rooms and swimming pools, the new, soon to open, Muscat International Airport is Oman’s airfield of dreams.
Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has unveiled some of the facts and figures around the single biggest project in the history of the Sultanate. And the sheer logistics of it are breathtaking.
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Diversification
The airport project is an integral component of Oman’s attempts to diversify its economy away from oil. Tourism and leisure will become the key planks in the Sultanate’s vision for the future – and a globally renowned airport in the top 20 airports of the world league by 2020 might seem ambitious – but Oman is determined to achieve it.
“The building includes 149 elevators of different size and for different purposes.
“The northern car park has five levels and accommodates over 1,100 parking lots while the five level southern car parks can accommodate some 1,200 parking,” the ministry told Times of Oman.
The external works of the airport project includes 2,054 parking lots with shade and 2,262 parking lots in the open and 406 parking lots for the employees at the airport. There will be 82 counters for Royal Oman Police, and the new Muscat International Airport will be able to accommodate 20 million passengers annually which can later increase to 48 million passengers.
According to the ministry, the new passenger building will have two main gates to accommodate heavy aircraft like the A380 and B747 at the new passenger terminal. There will be 10 belts for delivery of luggage of with two for domestic flights with a capacity of 5,200 bags per hour and a length of 7 kilometres.
A fully loaded A380 can weigh as much as 1.2 million pounds at take-off and can carry more than 850 passengers, experts say.
The total area of the passenger building is 580,000 square metres and the passenger terminal comprises three suites, each with three levels, and the central area, also on three levels, which links all three suites.
“There are three main entrances leading to such levels in addition to the arrivals and departure VIP lounges,” a MOT spokesman said. The retail outlets are located at both sides of the building and cover an area of 12,000 square metres. There are lounges for first class and business class passengers; offices for airlines and for car rental and for information and other services. The building also accommodates a four-star hotel with 90 rooms and swimming pools and food lounges.
The building also accommodates 40 aerial bridges for the movement of passengers to and from the planes, from 29 waiting areas. When completed, the airport will help drive Oman’s diversification programme by bringing tourists to Oman, and generating revenue and employment for locals, experts agree.