New Muscat airport opening date to be announced in a 'few days'

Muscat: The opening date of the new Muscat International Airport will be announced in the days to come, said a government aviation official on Sunday (January 28).
Dr Mohammed Al Zaabi, director of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, also said that 75 per cent of the airport trials were complete, and the number of volunteers at the trials will be increased to 25,000.
Speaking about the new airport, Al Zaabi noted, “As we have already mentioned, it is undergoing operational trials. Almost 75 per cent of the trials are complete, and the remaining 11 trials will be implemented during the coming period.”
“There was a great turnout of volunteers for the trials; the number of volunteers will be raised from 17,000 to nearly 25,000 now. We are satisfied with the trials and the operating systems; we are in the final stages of trials. In the days to come, the operation date of the new Muscat airport will be officially announced,” he added.
Al Zaabi made the statement while inspecting the test aircraft of Airbus’ new A350-1000 plane at the Muscat International Airport on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Airbus officials said, “We’re delighted to welcome guests and the media for a visit of our A350-1000.”
The aircraft has the capacity to carry 366 passengers over a distance of 8,000 nautical miles.
According to officials, the A3500-1000 will also reduce operation costs by some 25 per cent. The plane has a 65 metre-wingspan and is 74 metres long.
The Airbus A350-1000 test flight will travel over 30,000 nautical miles with stops in Doha, Muscat, Hong Kong and Seoul, as well as Taipei, Hanoi, Singapore and Bangkok, in addition to Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, and Manila.
Senior airport officials welcomed the arrival of the Airbus A350-1000 test aircraft to Muscat as part of a special demonstration tour by Airbus.
The visit was the first stop by the advanced aircraft to 12 destinations throughout the Middle East and Asia Pacific, designed to showcase the aircraft’s exclusive features to airlines and passengers.
During its stop in Muscat, the test aircraft was visited by local dignitaries and VIPs who were given a guided tour of the A350-1000.