Oman's Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) has announced the opening of the new airport at the sultanate's Duqm region.

Considered one of the main components of the Sezad, the new airport features a new passenger terminal, an air cargo terminal, an air control tower and other components, reported Times of Oman.

This includes a well-developed road network and a logistics zone to service both the airport and the port, which will contain logistics services related to aviation and port activities, car hire, tanker services, marine shipping offices, warehouses and industrial and real estate services, it stated.

The first flight at the new airport took off at 5pm yesterday (September 17) drawing parallels with the country’s economy spreading its wings to scale new heights, under its Tanfeedh plans for economic diversification, the report added.

The total area of the new passenger terminal is some 5,700 sq m, with the capacity of the airport expected to be around 500,000 passengers per annum.

The cargo terminal has been designed to accommodate 25,000 tonnes of goods annually, and with a runway that is four kilometres long, Duqm airport has the ability to operate internationally, it added.