Oman’s Transport and Communications Ministry has put the award of package three for three domestic airport projects on hold.

The third package covers the buildings, including the terminal buildings and control towers to be built at airports in Ras al-Hadd, Duqm and Adam. The reason for the ministry putting the projects on hold is unclear.

Bids for package three for Sohar airport were submitted on 9 January. In October 2011, the ministry delayed the award of package three for all four airport projects (MEED 10:1:12).

More than 40 companies submitted prequalification documents for package three at Adam and Ras al-Hadd airports in January 2011. Oman received three bids for package three at Duqm airport in June 2011. The first two packages covering landside and airside work are complete at Adam and are nearing completion at Sohar. The landside and airside works will be finished at Ras al-Hadd and Duqm in 2012.

Oman’s most significant airport schemes are at Muscat and Salalah. In October 2010, a consortium of the US’ Bechtel, the local Bahwan Engineering and Turkey’s Enka won the contract to build the new passenger terminal at Muscat. A month later, a joint venture of local Galfar Engineering & Contracting and India’s Larsen & Toubro won the deal to build a new passenger terminal at Salalah.