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Expansion works at Muscat airport

By Kabeer Yousuf MUSCAT -- The Muscat International Airport expansion project, the largest project ever be undertaken in the history of the Sultanate aiming at an initial capacity of 12 million annual passengers, is fast progressing towards the target of April 2014.

Designed on standards set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Service Level A, the new airport will be able to accommodate the staggering number of passengers with the best overall experience when travelling in and out of Oman.

The existing airport based on a design in 1973 has now reached its maximum capacity and the design of the new airport aims to meet the passenger growth numbers, according to a statement from the Oman Airports Management Authority.

Muscat airport has in recent years experienced a healthy growth in passenger numbers and this positive and considerable growth is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The growth is being driven by a number of factors including fleet and route expansion by Oman Air, and increase in capacity and frequency by the existing carriers. This in turn is being fuelled by the growth and development of tourism industry in the country as well as strong commercial and economic activities.

Some of the new facilities and features of the new airport include a Passenger Terminal Building which will be in accordance with the international standards, a 97-metre high Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, two runways, 28 contact gates, more than 7,000 parking spaces, dual 3-lane access road and striking landscaping along the access and at the entrance to the airport and new Passenger Terminal Building. COWI-Larsen Joint Venture is the main consultant of the project.

An exemplary piece of architectural brilliance, the airport will not only be an attractive edifice to see but it has also a dynamic and functional structure, which has been designed to accommodate several future expansion stages.

Several elements of comfort and convenience have all been carefully considered in order to provide passengers with the highest standards of comfort and to make their experience at Muscat International Airport remarkable. This concept has indeed helped the authorities to design the new Passenger Terminal Building in such a way that it will let light to travel through large spaces. The design is based on 12 million annual passengers, with a net floor area of 340,000 square metres, giving passengers ample space.

The project also includes some 70 buildings apart from the terminal, including a 97 metre high control tower and an Air Traffic Management Centre. Furthermore, the existing runway is to be upgraded and supplemented with a new runway. Both runways will be able to serve the world's largest aircraft, the Airbus 380. The project includes additional 30 remote stands. The project also includes multi-level parking facilities and a highway to the airport.

Keeping future expansion in mind, the new airport is designed in such a way that the expansion stages are phased out to accommodate 24 million passengers annually, followed by 36 million and at the final stage, phase four, the capacity will reach 48 million passengers a year.

© Oman Daily Observer 2012