Muscat Int'l Airport: new facilities and all set to grow in the Gulf

The opening of Muscat International Airport's new international terminal earlier this year, which effectively made it a new airport, throws it in competition with some of its peer airports, not only for hub traffic but as a catalyst to increasing tourism.

Although taking on the big hubs in the region is a huge challenge, the support of the national airline - which has now been bundled with the airport authority as the same organisation - will be crucial, both in doing that and in attracting more visitors to Oman, which has a more diverse tourist offering than the UAE and Qatar.

There is also the prospect of some form of privatisation on the horizon, possibly including an IPO, with foreign investors and perhaps operators also gaining a stake.