Oman Airports Management Company
Linking East and West, Oman has been a hub for traders, travelers and explorers for centuries. With ambitious development strategies in place, the Omani government today aims to boost travel and tourism in an age of high-speed air travel, digital computing and telecommunications. At the core of this effort is Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), the state-owned enterprise in charge of managing the rollout of Oman’s new regional and international airports.
At present, OAMC runs the Muscat and Salalah Airports, both of which are in the midst of extensive upgrades. OAMC and the Omani government aren’t stopping there, however. Planning for construction of four new regional airports is in the works as “part of an overall plan to meet the increasing travel demand for tourism and business purposes,” explains OAMC CEO, Vic Allen. New provincial airports are being planned for Sohar, Ras al Hadd, Ad Duqm and Adam, he added.
Total passenger traffic through Muscat International Airport rose 16% to more than 7.5 million year-over-year in 2012, according to Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation. 2013 has got off to a good start as well: passenger traffic at Muscat International exceeded 1.3 million as of end-February, a year-over-year rise of 10%, while that for Salalah, Oman’s second-largest airport, rose 6% to more than 107,000.
Assuring the safety and comfort of travelers, as well as cargo, is paramount for OAMC. So is offering them a unique experience and taste of Arabian culture.
“We want to be known for our time-efficiency, first and foremost. At the end of the day, an airport is a way of getting somewhere; it is not an end in itself, and we work hard at bearing that in mind in all that we do,” Allen highlighted.
“Oman is absolutely unique,” he continued. “If you want to experience genuine Arabian culture, this is the place to come. Oman is unspoiled, and its multicultural, diverse legacy has resulted in a peace-loving, tolerant society. Oman is a safe option in a region that is often unsafe. The political climate is stable and His Majesty has effectively managed to create what many describe ‘the Switzerland of the Middle East’.
“At the end of the day, the travel experience is not simply about moving from place to place; it is about the way you are made to feel upon arriving at your destination. It is exactly with this vision in mind that OAMC will welcome travelers from around the world to our brand new airports in the very near future.”
