Oman

Oman Airports to focus on smart corridor

 
Oman Airports is working on a Five-Year Plan to develop the aviation sector in the country.

With emphasis on providing amenities to passengers, the company will implement projects to digitalise retail sales and privatisation of ground handling.

Oman Airports said that its investments in the current year (2022) would be on creating a smart corridor by digitising the entire journey process of the traveller and on reducing carbon emissions.

Speaking to the 'Observer', Shaikh Aimen al Hosni, CEO of Oman Airports, said that by the end of the year, there will be projects as part of the plans to go green, which will include installation of solar panels to generate electricity for internal use at airports in the country.

He added, “The predictions are that the air traffic will return 60 to 60 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels this year, 70 to 80 per cent by 2023 and full 100 per cent by mid-2024-25.”

As a company under Oman Investment Authority, it will focus on signing a concession agreement for all airports, managing the second Southern Runway project, expanding the direct network to various destinations and developing the air freight business.

It will seek to operate airports outside the Sultanate of Oman; the company will also focus on establishing free zones near airports, managing civil and oilfield airports, and developing the lands of Muscat and Salalah airports in cooperation with the private sector.

The national airline would seek to promote the Sultanate of Oman as a destination for travel.

“The airline will target key markets and adopt an effective business model.”

The investment portfolio of the Omran group amounted to RO 675 million, while the number of hotel assets reached 30, including three under construction, five major projects and eight projects in partnerships.

The most notable projects of the group during the upcoming plan are the sustainable city of Yiti and the business centre at Madinat Al Irfan in Muscat.

@vinot_nair