Muscat International Airport is located in the vicinity of Es Siba, quite far from the capital. It began operations in 1973, when the more modest airport at Bayt al-Fallaj could not cope with the increasing passenger traffic.
During the 1991 Gulf War, the new airport became a military base. He was then returned to civilians again. Muscat Airport reopened in 2018 after major renovations. After the renovation, it was able to serve about 20 million passengers a year. Over time, this amount is planned to increase to 56 million people.
Muscat Airport has never aspired to top the rankings of the largest airports in the Persian Gulf. Oman's main international airport plans to amaze passengers with a high level of service.
The airport is actively used by the national Omani air carrier Oman Air. Also, the first low-cost airline in Oman, Salam Air, operates from this air terminal across the country, the Persian Gulf region and makes intercontinental flights to Asia, Africa and Europe.
Infrastructure
The area of the Muscat airport is 21 km2. For a long time, only one terminal building was open for passengers. From 2007 to 2018, a new terminal was built here. Italian architects worked on his project. The design of the building took into account the wishes of the Sultanate to make the main air gate of the country in the traditional Arabian style.
In addition to duty-free shops, in the terminal you can find an information desk, where they will help you organize a transfer, pick up a hotel and tell you about the country's attractions, car rental offices, a food zone, ATMs and exchange offices working around the clock, a medical center, a mosque at the exit from the arrivals hall, Postal office. Free Wi-Fi will improve the waiting time for your flight.
For the most dear guests, passengers of private planes, a VIP terminal was built.
The airport has two runways. The length of each is 4 km. The presence of such take-off roads allows servicing the massive Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 aircraft.
How to get from the airport to Muscat
The international airport is located between the capital of Oman, Muscat, and the famous resort of Es-Sib. The distance from the airport to the Old City of Muscat, to the Al-Alam Palace, is 35 kilometers. The car passes it in 40 minutes. Es Sib is closer to the airport. The car covers the way to the bazaar in the center of Es-Siba in 30 minutes.
There is public transport from the airport to the Omani capital Muscat. Bus 1B leaves the airport every half hour and goes to Ruwi, Muscat's business district, where the bus station is located. Passengers spend about 45 minutes on the way. On the way, you can get off at any stop and change to the desired bus.
Bus 1A runs every 30 minutes from the airport to Es Siba. It reaches the final stop in 35 minutes. Bus tickets are sold by drivers. The stops are located right in front of the terminal.
In addition to the aforementioned transport, bus number 8 also stops at the airport, which follows from the Al-Mawalih area to the coastal Al-Khuweir. It runs every 30 minutes. Day off - Friday.
Taxis are also available for passengers at the airport. Before getting into the car, you need to discuss the fare with the taxi driver. The trip to Muscat costs 6 to 10 riyals.
The airport has a counter with free maps. Take it even if you are going to get to the hotel by taxi. Taxi drivers do not always know the road well, so with a map you can save valuable time.
Taxi drivers agree to travel to other localities in Oman.
Security and parking
At Muscat airport, in front of the exits from the arrivals and departures halls, a special area is allocated where the car can drop off its passengers. For security reasons and to ensure access to the airport entrance, the vehicle can only stay here for 10 minutes. If the car lingers longer without supervision, it will be escorted to a special parking lot. For those people who want to leave their car for a longer period, there are short-term parking lots at the airport.
For security reasons and to reduce the number of people in the terminal, only persons with plane tickets can enter the departure hall.
There are short and long term parking facilities at Muscat Airport. They are all located within walking distance of the main terminal. Parking tickets are paid exclusively in Omani rials at the machines located in every parking lot. If you need help, the driver can contact the duty officer at any time of the day or night.
Since 2019, the airport has been equipped with a drone detection system.
