​First international flight touches down in Sohar

Muscat: Sohar Airport received its first international flight yesterday as an Air Arabia maiden flight touched down from the UAE.
“Air Arabia is now the first international flight to Sohar Airport from Sharjah Airport,” the statement said.
OAMC also stated that Sohar Airport is able to receive 500,000 passengers annually.
The inaugural international flight came in from the United Arab Emirates at nine this morning. “Air Arabia Group touches down in Sohar, Oman—becoming the third destination to join its #Oman network. #FlyMore,” Air Arabia said.
New gateway
Sohar Airport is the new gateway to Oman, which will be the local alternative in emergency situations for the Muscat International Airport, according to the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA).
Dr Anchan C K, an international advisor in the investments and bilateral trade, believes that the strategic placement of the airport, port and freezone will place Sohar on the global map.
“Sohar is rightly named as ‘Gateway to the Gulf,’ and benefits from an enviable position outside the Strait of Hormuz, meaning it can access over 3.5 billion consumers through the Gulf by land, sea, or air, being at the centre of global trade routes between Europe and Asia.
“With the opening of the Sohar International Airport, it will mark the beginning of a new era for investors and for Oman. With the region`s fast developing road-air-rail infrastructure, offering better business connections and unprecedented opportunities for growth,” Anchan said.
According to PACA, Sohar Airport will function as a new gateway for passenger, cargo and courier traffic in northern Oman, and a domestic and emergency alternative to the Muscat International Airport. It adds to an up-to-the-minute multimodal transport network that will stimulate additional economic growth in the Sultanate.
“In addition, the Freezone has a 4,500 hectare-development that together with the port, has already attracted global investments of US$25 billion. Sohar is one of the fastest growing port and free zone developments to have an abundance of space that is readily available and filling up fast for strategic investors ,” Anchan said.
“For investors aiming to look at the manufacturing sector, the Sohar Industrial Estate is an ideal choice with ready facilities to move in; it currently covers an area of 21,237,225.16 square metres, of which 10,730,000 square metres have been developed. It is ideally located mid-way between Muscat and Dubai and Sohar. The estate is home to 60 businesses, 35 units under construction and a further 55 are expected to come on stream in the near future,” he added.