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Over 100 countries sign air transport agreements with Oman

The President of the Civil Aviation Authority unveils the authority’s achievements and plans for 2022 in a media meeting held on Thursday.

TAS News Service

info@thearabianstories.com

Thursday, March 24, 2022

MUSCAT: The media meeting of the Civil Aviation Authority has begun on Thursday, March 24. The meeting will review the executive position of the authority’s strategic plans, the achievements it has achieved during 2021 and its plan for 2022.

His Excellency Eng. Nayef bin Ali Al-Abri, President of the Civil Aviation Authority, has referred to the most prominent achievements and the works carried out by the authority in 2021, including achieving 100 percent in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s index of global reports for assessing the state of airport runways.

His Excellency has confirmed that the authority has completed 75 percent of the Oman Aviation Academy accreditation requirements during 2021, and has formed a national committee on climate change and the protection of the ozone layer, and launched the Afaq and Kafaat programs.

His Excellency indicated that the movement of passengers at Muscat International Airport witnessed an increase of 8%, bringing the number of passengers by the end of 2021 to 3,751,355 passengers, compared to the end of 2020, while the cargo movement recorded about 108,846 tons, and the number of flights through the airport reached 40,889 flights.

His Excellency the President of the Civil Aviation Authority said, “The number of passengers through Salalah Airport increased by 134 percent to reach 906,727 passengers at the end of last year, and freight traffic grew to 7,487 tons, and the number of flights reached 10,076. By the end of 2021, Sohar and Duqm airports witnessed an increase in passenger traffic by 54 percent and 95 percent, respectively.”

The President of the Civil Aviation Authority has clarified that the total air traffic in the Sultanate of Oman by the end of 2021 amounted to 315,035 flights, of which the transit aircraft represented 80%.

His Excellency added, “The number of new aircraft registered in the Sultanate of Oman during 2021 amounted to 11 aircraft and 83 refurbished aircraft, 86 approvals for drone activities and 800 permits for flight obstacles for the lands adjacent to the airports.”

His Excellency indicated that the total number of countries with which the Sultanate of Oman signed air transport agreements reached 118 countries by the end of 2021, at a rate of 62 open skies agreements.

His Excellency said, “The total revenues of the Civil Aviation Authority at the end of 2021 increased by 18 percent to reach OMR 45,612,474 compared to the end of 2020.”

His Excellency has stated that the authority is seeking, through its plan for 2022, to prepare the national aviation safety plan and update the Civil Aviation Strategy 2030.

Adopting the general policy for aviation, implementing a strategy to get rid of some climate-related substances in the Sultanate of Oman, preparing the Climate Change Management Law, and joining the Beijing agreements and the Beijing 2010 protocol.

He added that the authority will work during the current year to issue Oman Aviation Academy licenses, issue an amphibious flight license, start restructuring Omani airspace, modernise the rules for economic regulation and airlines, and protect the rights of travellers.

He indicates that the authority will conclude new air transport agreements with Australia, Indonesia, Turkey, Gambia, Tunisia, Belarus, Georgia, Malta and Kenya.

Resuming work on air transport agreements suspended due to the pandemic, according to the data of the global epidemiological situation, and offering investment opportunities in the authority’s airport lands and other assets.

He has clarified that air navigation infrastructure projects will be developed within the financial balance program, and concession agreements and usufruct agreements will be signed for Muscat and Salalah international airports.

His Excellency said, “More than 80 percent of the authority’s services were digitised during the government’s digital transformation program plan 2021-2025, and work was also done on a digital transformation project for regulatory, navigation and meteorological services.”

His Excellency added, “The remaining works are being completed to build the movement control tower in Muscat International Airport at a cost of OMR 1 million, and the aircraft maintenance hangar building, which costs OMR 24 million, and the rehabilitation of the southern runway at the airport at a cost of OMR 22 million.”

His Excellency the President of the Civil Aviation Authority says that the authority seeks to give usufruct of its assets to local and foreign companies to invest in the lands and buildings it owns in the field of aviation. And studying the granting of concession rights in the management and operation of local airports to another operator and opening the field of investment in providing some of the Authority’s services to the private sector.

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