Muscat International Airport won the world’s Leading New Airport award in 2018. The accolade was announced during the 25th edition of the World Travel Awards hosted in Lisbon, Portugal. Recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence, this year’s ceremony saw the participation of leading travel and tourism service providers from around the world.

Established in 1993, World Travel Awards has served to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry. Voted by industry professionals and travelers from around the world, its winners have been setting the benchmark to which others aspire for over two decades.

Commercially opened in March of this year with a gross floor area of approximately 580,000 square meters, the new airport has the capacity to serve 20 million passengers per year.

Since opening its doors, the airport has received worldwide acclaim for its Omani-themed architecture, advanced technology, and exceptional passenger experience. With an expansion potential of up to 80 million passengers per annum, it was designed and constructed to the highest standards of quality and service, meeting the International Air Transport Association’s classification for top airports. As a result, it was voted Best New Middle East Tourism Development Project at the World Travel Awards just four weeks after starting its operations.

Today, the travel and tourism sector in Oman has seen tremendous growth because of the opening of the new Muscat International airport. Between January and October 2018, the total number of flights arriving at Muscat International Airport was 89,368, a 5.2 percent increase from last year while the number of passengers increased by 10.5 percent from 2017, reaching 11.7 million. By end of 2018, the total number of passengers flying into the airport is expected to have reached a record 16 million.