About Muscat International Airport
Seeb Airport started to be built in 1970 in the Muscat metropolitan area which is the capital of Oman, which is one of the commercial centers of the Arabian Peninsula. The airport opened to passengers in 1973. During the Gulf War in 1991 the airport was used by the British Royal Air Force for a while, then the international and cargo terminal buildings were renovated. The airport, which has turned into the main international airport in the country for flights between Europe, Asia and African continents, has been under private management since the year 2004. With the development and initiatives of the private managament, the airport changed its name to Muscat International Airport in 2008. Today, Muscat International Airport, which is open to civil and military flights, is a single terminal building on two stories and provides air transportation to an average of 12 million passengers annually.
Getting to the City Center from Muscat International Airport
Oman's capital and largest city, Muscat is a dazzling city with its spectacular beaches, untouched deserts and unique historical touch. There are direct flights from Turkey to Muscat that last about 4.5 hours. Turkish citizens can enter the country by obtaining a visa at the Oman border. The cost of getting a visa at the Oman border is only 6 riyals. In general, transportation in Muscat has improved a lot compared to the past years. However, even though city transportation is quite easy, there are not many options in urban transportation. There are bus services between Muscat and Dubai city, the world's leading tourism and trade center. Dubai-Muscat buses are operating twice a day, at 7 am and 4 pm. This journey lasts about 5 hours, with a ticket price of 55 dirhams according to last year's prices. Apart from that, you can reach Muscat directly from most of the Arab countries. The roads throughout Muscat are very well-maintained and environmental greening work is being done. All cities in Oman have direct access to Muscat. Oman's capital city, Muscat, which has a population of about 2 million, can be reached also from other important cities of Oman such as Matrah, Mirbat, Suveyh and El-Halva in a short time. Urban public transport is carried out by Oman National Transportation Company. With the cooperation of Oman National Transportation Company (ONTC) and Muscat Municipality, the public transport in the city has been modernized and the number of means has been increased. Rumi Bus Station is the central point of public transport, which is generally named Mwasalat, and is Muscat's central point. Wadi Adei, Wadi Kabir, Mabelah Muttrah and Al Almrat, which are connected to the main transportation points of Muscat, are easily accessible by public transportation departing from here. The Muscat district links important cities and towns with well-preserved, well-paved, bi-directional, wide roads and motorways, all of which pass through Muscat. Other districts of Muscat, Madinat Al Sultan, Quaboos, Shati Al-Qurm and Al Aurm, are 15 to 20 kilometers from Muscat city center. Ruwi is the commercial center of the city of Muscat and is 25 kilometers from Muscat International Airport. If you arrive at Ruwi, you will see the big bus station, which has separate buses to all the districts of Muscat. From this station you can make both Muscat inner city and Oman intercity journeys. There are no railway lines in the city of Muscat or even in Oman. Therefore, trains and subways are not included in public transport. The lack of rail and subway network in Oman causes many traffic problems. The use of cars by both locals and visitors of the country makes driving in the traffic a challenge. In Oman and its capital, Muscat, there are popular means of public transport. Baiza buses which are like shared cabs and green and red public buses are some of them. Muscat International Airport, the busiest airport in Oman, is about 35 kilometers away from Muscat city center. The Sultan Qaboos motorway, west of Muscat city center, linked to many cities and towns, passes through the airport route. Most of the means of public transport going to the Muscat city center from the airport use this highway. The Burj Al Sahwa junction in the west of Muscat Airport is linked to other cities in Oman. From the airport to Muscat city center you can take advantage of the taxi, public buses, Baiza buses and car rental services. You can also opt for a 24/7 operating airport shuttle provided to the passengers of the airport, which is a little more expensive than means of public transport. The airport shuttle transfer serves with special vehicles designed for 7 adults and tickets are priced for one person. One person ticket at the moment is 21 euros. After you have thoroughly learned the hotel's information, you can use this transfer service. In Muscat we can examine the buses that are most commonly used by public transport in two sub-sections. One of these is the baize bus, named after a lower sect of Oman riyal (the Indian subculture comes from the root of paisa), and the other is the normal public bus. Baiza buses are not more expensive than others and serve on all main roads of Muscat. The difference of Baiza buses is that there is no place to show tickets; you pay in advance. You can bargain with the driver just as you would in a taxi. It takes about 30 minutes to travel from Muscat Airport to the city center by baize buses, which are also called shared cabs. Public buses, which are bigger with regards to passenger capacity, less popular and slightly more expensive, also serve at many points in Muscat. You have to walk a short distance from the airport to go to Muscat city center by public buses in red and green colors. These buses pass through Sultan Qaboos motorway, which is the most important transportation network of Muscat, and go to the city center. Bus tickets can be picked up at stops or in the bus. The prices are fixed compared to baiza buses and there are certain tariffs and rules applied for public buses. The center of public buses is Mwasalat. Intercity and international buses depart from here. You can also take the bus to the famous Salalah from Mwasalat. Salalah buses usually depart at 7 am and 10 pm, and the journey takes about 12 hours. Muscat's other important city, Ruwi, also has a big bus station. You can book online for buses departing from Ruwi and going to Ruwi. There are 6 stops on the bus route from Muscat's Seeb district, where Muscat Airport is located, to Ruwi. The most important of these is the place where the famous clock tower is located, Rusayl. The Roundabout stop, one of the city's major junctions, is also on this route. Another name for public buses is Mwasalat public transportation vehicles. Wadi Adei, Wadi Kabir, Mabelah, Muttrah and Al Almerat can easily be reached from the Ruwi bus station. These points are linked to the main transportation points such as Muscat's international airport, Port Sultan Quaboos, Burj Shawa, Al Khawir, Gubrah, Al Azaiba, Mawalih and Seeb. Mwasalat public transport departs every 15 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is the case for all buses going from the stops near Muscat Airport to the city center. They operate between 07:00 and 22:10. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are considered holidays throughout Oman. Nowadays, the public transport starts to operate at 08:00 and last until 22:05. Inter-city buses are fewer than urban buses. Many tourists who land at Muscat International Airport and want to go to the city center or the hotel where they want to stay, prefer a non-institutional taxi service at reasonable prices. Despite the fact that many of the local people have a personal vehicle, some still use public transport. The most important feature distinguishing Muscat taxis from the others is that none has a taximeter. It is a good idea to ask the hotel staff or the local people at the airport about the average price of taxis before boarding one of these. Because the taxi driver will be able to ask for higher fares above the average, make sure that you do the price search before taking a taxi. Taxi drivers are open to bargaining because they do not have a taximeter on their vehicles. If we need to generalize, you can arrive at the airport from Muscat city center in about 25-30 minutes by car. This corresponds to an average of 13-15 riyals (95-110 TL). There are non-written rules about the taxis in the city of Muscat that they identify among themselves. That's why we recommend that you do not want to pay much less than the average price when negotiating the price. Apart from this, Muscat taxi drivers also provide transportation to the outside of the city in accordance with the wishes of the customers. Going with taxis to famous cities like Suhar, Buraimi and Dubai can be a bit expensive, but still it can be among the choices. Places and approximate prices you can go to by taxi from Muscat Airport: Muscat Airport-Quram, Madinat, Al Khawir/Yemen: 8 riyals for 20 kilometers Muscat Airport -Barka/Oman: 15 riyals for 52 kilometers Muscat Airport -Nizwa/ Oman: 30 riyals for 140 kilometers Muscat Airport -Sohar/ Oman: 40 riyals for 195 kilometers Muscat Airport -Quarayyat/Saudi Arabia: 24 riyals for 120 kilometers The white taxis running between Muscat Airport and the city center are a bit more upscale and expensive than the orange taxis in town. If the taxi at the airport ask you to pay more than you need to go down the city, you can take one of the orange taxis at the exit of the airport after a short walk. Another convenience that Muscat taxis provide for their customers is that you can reserve a taxi for yourself via internet before you arrive at the airport. Thus you can immediately get on your taxi after your arrival to the airport. When you arrive at Muscat Airport you can call +96824341297 to call a taxi. The Ruwi bus station is an important point in terms of Muscat's public transport and highway connections. The average taxi fare from Muscat Airport to Ruwi Bus Station is currently 10 Riyals. It costs 15 Riyals from Muscat Airport to Barr Al Jissah and 12 Riyals to Al Bustan. It is an average of 7 riyals to go to Al Qurm Beach, one of Muscat's most famous places, by taxi from the airport. People among Oman and many Muscat residents use their private vehicles due to the low cost of oil in the country. A visitor to the country can also make their travels cheaper by renting a car from car rental companies. You can use your driver's license for 1 month from the time you enter Oman. You can book your car via internet without going to Muscat Airport. Prices may vary depending on the size and the quality of the car, but on average 1 day car rental is 200 RMB for 200 RMB as of 2015. Some of the companies you can rent a car at Muscat Airport are Avis, Hert, Eurocar, Budget, Thrifty, Shuram LLC, Value Plus, Sixt Rent a Car and Mark Rent a Car. These are all located at the airport's arrival terminal. You can get to the Muscat city center in 20-25 minutes by exiting the Sultan Quaboos motorway with the car you rent from the airport.Bus
Taxi
Car Rental
Getting to Muscat International Airport from the City Center
Muscat, the capital city of Oman with a population of about 1.5 million, is a large port city in the Gulf of Oman stretching along the Arabian Sea. The road connections between Muscat International Airport, a busy airport, and the city center are quite extensive. These routes, which are linked to both the other cities of Oman and the neighboring cities outside the country, are close to Muscat Airport.
It is recommended for you to have a guide map with you at the taxis or rental cars that you can use to get to the airport from the city center of Muscat.
Because the city has many districts, you must find the roads or the means of public transport leading to Muscat Airport on the internet.
Bus
There are 60 bus stops serving permanently in Muscat. The rapidly growing population of the city and its reputation for tourism has created the need to expand public transport in the city. Sixteen of the forty new buses built under the leadership of the Oman National Transportation Company (ONTC) have replaced old buses on the route of Ruwi-Wadi Kabir.
With the new modernized buses, the new Ruwi-Wadi Adai line was opened. As a result of increasing the number of stops, there has also been an increase in urban public transport usage. New buses connecting to Ruwi and Muscat Airport started service at the end of 2015.
Busses serving between 6 am and 10 pm pass through the Sultan Qaboos motorway to reach the airport, just like any other means of transport.
Taxi
There are few taxis in some places in Muscat, while there are more in some other place. Where there are plenty of taxis, the prices are lower because of the competition.
Muscat city is both the capital and the biggest city of Oman, so you can come across taxis very often. At least if you are familiar with the following information, it will be easier for you to bargain with the taxi drivers: if the distance to your destination is below 2 kilometers the average you would pay is 0.5 riyals, and it is 2.5 riyals if the distance is about 5 kilometers. From Ruwi, one of Muscat's most important settlement centers, it costs around 8 riyals to go to the Muscat Airport by taxi.
There are two varieties of taxis in the city; one is white, and the other is orange. The vast majority of taxi drivers are Omani. Orange taxis are local, while white ones are a bit more upscale, airport taxis. You often find orange taxis in the city. If you are going to the airport from the city center, we suggest you prefer the orange car in terms of being cheaper.
Car Rental
As a foreign visitor, you can use your driver's license for 1 month within the boundaries of Oman. You can rent a car from the offices of car rental companies in the airport or at Muscat city center. Although the daily car rental fee is about 40 riyals, this price may vary depending on the characteristics of the car and whether or not you negotiate a bit.
To reach the airport from any point of the city, you have to enter the Sultan Qaboos motorway. If you are coming from the city center, you can follow the signs of the airport by entering this highway on the west side of the city and continuing from the right lane. Do not forget to rent also a navigation device while renting your car. The car rental option, which offers much cheaper opportunities than the taxi, is also the type of transportation preferred by tourists because oil is cheap in the country.
Airport Information
The name of Muscat International Airport, opened in 1973, was originally Seeb Airport until 2008because it was located in Seeb region. Located 30 kilometers west of Muscat city center, the airport's annual passenger capacity is approximately 6 million. Muscat Airport, Oman's largest airport, is also the primary airport of Oman Airlines.
The airport has airport shuttle buses with a capacity of seven people operated by the airport which are more expensive than public transport. You can visit the official website of Oman Airlines travel agency and contact the company. Oman is a country with high levels of cars in the traffic. Therefore, Muscat Airport has a parking area with a capacity of 396 vehicles.
On the first floor of the airport is the Tourist Information Office. There is a mosque in an area very close to the airport terminal. There is a free Wi-Fi service, a currency exchange office serving 24/7, ATMs, a clinic providing health services that you can find open all the time in the airport. Showering areas, smoking areas, travel agencies, car rental companies, retail stores, playground for children are other platforms can also be found in Muscat Airport.
You can shop at duty-free where the perfume, jewelry and other things are cheaper at the departure terminal of the airport. The airport is home to world famous eating and drinking areas such as Coffe & More, Costa Coffee, Subway, DQ Grill & Chill, The Irish House (Bar), Automatic Restaurant (Gulf region regional cuisine), Curry Kitchen (indian cuisine) and idli.com (South Indian food).
