In sync with global trend, Muscat’s new airport to be a ‘silent’ one

The new terminal of the Muscat International Airport will be a “silent” terminal.

Passengers will get most of the flight information on the display boards put up all around the terminal.

Airline officials said passenger boarding calls will only be made occasionally in the departure and boarding gate areas, at the new terminal of the Muscat International Airport. “The new terminal building will be silent with minimum announcements. All information the guests need will be displayed on screens around the terminal,” the national carrier of Oman, Oman Air, said.

It also said: “We can’t wait to see the new passenger terminal designed with the latest state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure facilities.”

Airline officials said limited boarding calls will be made in front of international departures gates, in keeping with global trends of silent airports and passengers becoming increasingly self-sufficient. Passengers at the new airport are advised to check their boarding passes and the flight information display boards for boarding times. Additionally, robots will guide passengers to the check-in counters at the new terminal when it opens on March 20.

“Besides robots, there will new screens, more people to assist the passengers at the new airport,” a senior OAMC official said.

Many international airports have already adopted a silent airport policy to improve airport ambience and reduce complaints about the number and frequency of calls for individual passengers, who have checked in but not arrived at the boarding gates, to board their flights. “We trust that passengers will take note of their individual responsibility in getting to their boarding gate and boarding the aircraft in good time,” said an airline official.

Suresh Kumar, an Indian expat, said: “These days, people don’t rely on the audio announcements anymore. They follow the signs and digital display of information and can do without the public address system. If it goes silent, then it would be a relief.”