Work is moving ahead on the development of the new regional airport at Musandam, Oman, with the final design of the proposed airport now complete and the tendering process for the estimated $250 million facility under way.
The new airport is one of several scheduled to be built, or expanded, under plans by the sultanate to improve its aviation infrastructure. The Musandam Peninsula, overlooking the strategic Straits of Hormuz at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf, is an Omani exclave, separated from the rest of Oman by UAE territory.
Oman has embarked on a plan to significantly scale up inbound tourism as a major part of the country’s economic development, with the expansion of regional airports an important component of the project.
It will also increase connectivity for isolated areas of the country.
The new Musandam Airport may take over services from nearby Khasab Airport, which has operational constraints including the inability to operate on a 24-hour basis.
Musandam will be developed in two phases. The first will include the construction of a 2,520-meter-long, 45-meter-wide runway able to handle aircraft up to the size of the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 families. It will also include a passenger terminal with an annual capacity of 250,000 passengers, plus a control tower, taxiways and ancillary construction.
National carrier Oman Air operates 737s, while LCC SalamAir flies A320s and A321s. The latter airline is also scheduled to begin deliveries of six Embraer E195 E2 small narrowbody jets in late 2026 or early 2027, which would fit well into what are likely to be thin routes into Musandam.
A proposed second phase will see the runway lengthened to 3,300 meters, with the ability to handle widebody aircraft, plus an expanded terminal, more taxiways, and enlarged apron areas.
If all goes according to plan, the first phase of the new airport will open in the second half of 2028.
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