Oman Advances Construction of New Passenger Terminal at Sohar Airport, Plans to Add Regional Routes Within the Year

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 16, Oman's Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, Said bin Hamoud Al Maawali, announced the latest arrangements for the expansion of Sohar Airport. The government will advance the construction of a new passenger terminal and expand the airport's regional route network. The planned new destinations include Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Gwadar in Pakistan, and cities in southern Iran. The relevant new routes are expected to be announced successively before the end of 2026.

The construction of the new terminal at Sohar Airport has entered the government's aviation infrastructure implementation plan. In January 2026, the Civil Aviation Authority of Oman confirmed that the bidding process for the construction of the new passenger terminal had been launched; the project has also been included in the aviation projects advanced in the first year of Oman's Eleventh Five-Year Development Plan. The 2026 national budget allocates 900 million Omani rials for development projects, of which 400 million rials are for economic transformation projects, including civil aviation infrastructure.

The existing passenger terminal at Sohar Airport covers an area of approximately 1,200 square meters, with a designed annual passenger handling capacity of about 70,000 passengers, and is equipped with 4 boarding bridges and 7 check-in counters. The airport's existing main runway is 4,000 meters long and 75 meters wide, capable of accommodating large aircraft, and is equipped with a 37-meter air traffic control tower.

Sohar Airport began operations in November 2014, handling passenger and cargo air transport for Al Batinah North Governorate, and serves as an alternate airport for Muscat International Airport. Statistics from Oman's civil aviation authorities show that as of the end of November 2025, Sohar Airport had operated a total of 238 domestic and international flights that year, with passenger volume exceeding 18,500.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Oman has included the expansion of Sohar Airport in its regional airport construction projects. The airport planning consultancy procurement launched in 2024 covered the master plan, design, and supervision work for Sohar Airport; in early 2026, the Civil Aviation Authority further confirmed that the new passenger terminal had entered the construction bidding stage.

Oman's transport authorities have simultaneously proposed expanding Sohar Airport's regional routes, with a focus on connecting to Dammam, Gwadar, and markets in southern Iran. The construction of the new terminal and route expansion will proceed according to the airport expansion plan. Currently, publicly available documents have not yet disclosed the building area, investment amount, winning contractor, or specific start date of the new terminal.