Muscat Airport
Muscat Airport
Muscat International Airport (IATA code MCT) is located a few kilometers outside the capital in Seeb and was known until 2008 as Seeb International Airport. However, since people have long stopped speaking only of the city itself when referring to the capital Muscat but rather the entire capital region, it was only logical that the airport for the region was renamed accordingly. Muscat International Airport is the most important airport in Oman. It handles the largest number of passengers annually, and it is also the main hub for the international flights to Oman.
From Provincial Airfield to International Airport
When Sultan Qaboos took over the government in the country nearly fifty years ago and the first oil reserves were just being discovered, international connectivity via airports was hardly conceivable. An appropriate infrastructure did not exist or was barely there. In the early years of the new Sultan's reign, significant portions of the revenue from oil sales were therefore invested in creating exactly such structural developments. For this reason, the Muscat Airport was commissioned in 1972 – then designed for just a few travelers and the shipment and import of goods. Meanwhile, the airport has been expanded multiple times and can certainly measure itself against other medium-sized airports on an international level.
Developments at Muscat Airport
At the end of 2014, a new runway was built to ensure that the Airbus A380 could land in Muscat. Most recently, a new terminal was completed in early 2018. As a result, the airport's capacity has now increased to 20 million passengers per year. Furthermore, Muscat Airport serves the internationally operating airline Oman Air and the low-cost carrier Salam Air as their home airport and hub for their flights from Europe to the Middle East and Asia.
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