Extension to Muscat opens with bids in for new terminal

The new 17,000 square metre building was inaugurated on Sunday by Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidi, Secretary-general of the Council of Ministers. The Omani airport authority believes the extension will ease pressure on the airport until the new facilities are completed and operational in 2012.

The two-storey building  connected to the existing terminal building has eight boarding gates, each with a capacity to accommodate 160 passengers. Two of them can be merged to handle large flights.

The total number of gates at the airport now is 21. 

 Meanwhile six groups are believed to have submitted bids for the contract to build a  new passenger terminal at the airport as well as additional infrastructure including runway and taxiways as well as new control tower..

The prospective bidders are: Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) with Turkey’s TAV; the local Galfar Engineering & Contracting Company and India’s Larsen & Toubro; Cyprus-based Joannou & Paraskevaides (J&P); US-based Bechtel with the local Bahwan Contracting Company and Turkey’s Enka; Saudi Binladin Group; and France’s Vinci Grand Projects.

Four groups have also submitted bids for the first main construction contract, which involves building the northern runway, taxiway system, aprons, roads, utility buildings and other civil works.

According to sources, the low bidder is the Galfar and Larsen & Toubro. The other bidders are CCC with TAV; Cyprus-based J&P; and Austria’s Strabag.

According to the Centre for Pacific Aviation, traffic through Muscat International Airport is expected to increase, due to fleet and route expansion by the national carrier Oman Air, the increase in capacity and frequency by existing carriers, the growth and development of the tourism and economic activity in Oman.

The organisation reported that the number of passengers entering and leaving Muscat excluding transfer passengers has increased by 6% during the first quarter 2009 compared to 2008.

The number of arriving passengers excluding transfers has increased by 4% to 415,091 passengers during the first quarter of 2009 from 398,807 passengers for the same period last year. The number of departing passengers excluding transfers has increased by 9% to 383,116 passengers during the first quarter of 2009 from 351,409 passengers for the same period last year.

The total number of passengers at Muscat International Airport has increased by 4% to 988,941 passengers during the first quarter of 2009 from 951,387 passengers for the same period last year.

The number of civil aircraft movements at Muscat International Airport has increased by 7% to 11,935 aircraft movements for the first quarter of 2009 from 11,114 movements for the same period last year.