Oman announces official duty-free opening

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Seeb International airport's Muscat Duty Free store, operated by Aer Rianta International-Middle East with Oman Aviation Services, will be officially opened on June 2 following its extensive renovation

The store has remained open throughout the expansion, which was scheduled for completion by the June school holidays.

Muscat Duty Free general manager Steve O'Connor told TRW that the new store will bring duty-free at Oman's principal airport up to a standard to compete with other facilities in the region, and said that initial feedback from customers was positive.

"They've been pleasantly surprised with the whole look of the store," said O'Connor, who added that fragrances and cosmetics would benefit most from the new layout. "We've removed the old counters and the whole store is self-service now, with a greatly expanded range."

O'Connor insisted that the airport had not been severely affected by the current travel downturn, thanks mainly to its steady local traffic and the low proportion of tourism and transit traffic. He was optimistic that the store would meet its year-end forecast.

The renovation at Seeb was first reported in DFNI November 15 2002, when Aer Rianta International regional managing director John Sutcliffe said: "Oman fits perfectly into our core business and it's a natural extension for us. The new store will mirror our other operations to some extent, but we don't want it to be just a homogenous duty-free store, we want a shop that will reflect local culture."

The opening will be attended by a cabinet minister from the Oman government, as well as representatives from the retail partners.