Oman has officially launched its fourth regional airport with the opening of the Duqm Airport on January 14, said a report.

The new facility, which occupies an area of 27,386-sq-m, is located on the outskirts of Duqm and will be able to handle half a million passengers a year with the potential for a maximum capacity of 2-million annually upon further expansion, said a report in Times of Oman.

The airport was inaugurated during a grand opening ceremony, held under the patronage of Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior.

Duqm Airport has a passenger terminal covering approximately 9,614-sq-m; an aviation navigation complex; a 38m-tall traffic control tower; and a 9,958-sq-m cargo terminal, with the capacity to handle more than 20,000 tonnes of luggage per year.

The airport also boasts a 4-km-long runway with a width of 75-m, besides passageways and parking for planes, including one such facility for the A380 Airbus aircraft, media reports said.