A number of firms have been prequalified for the work, including Oman’s Larsen & Toubro, Shapoorji Construction Company, Kuwait’s United Gulf Construction Company, Saudi Oger and Strabag Oman.

In July, the client issued a tender to prepare the ground for the airport at Sohar.

The airport will target domestic travellers, but is designed to international specifications. Runways and terminals will be large enough to accommodate the Airbus A380 superjumbo.

A third construction package to design and build the airport's passenger and cargo terminals will follow. These buildings will be designed with an initial capacity for 500,000 passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year (MEED 1:7:08).