MUSCAT: The new extension of the passenger departures building at Muscat International Airport was inaugurated yesterday under the auspices of Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidy, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, in the presence of a number of ministers and dignitaries. The extension of the new terminal was carried out by Oman Airports Management Company and according to the CEO, George Bellew, the RO 15 million new terminal extension comprises of two floors, the ground floor consists of 8 new bus boarding gates each with an approximate capacity of 160 seats, the gates are designed for the possibility of combining 2 gates in one for handling large flights, bathrooms for male and female passengers are available at the ground floor and a new baggage handling and screening system to handle transfer baggage is also housed at the ground floor.

The new extension is connected to the existing terminal building via a passenger bridge from the first floor, the new departure gates are numbered 16-23 will add 8 new additional boarding gates to the current existing 13 boarding gates, in total Muscat International Airport will have 21 passenger boarding gates. The first floor will provide a wider choice of retail, food and beverage outlets, prayer rooms for male and female passengers, bathrooms, play area for kids and a room designated for smoking passengers with a special ventilation system. The ground floor is connected with the first floor with an electrical escalator and two elevators.

The retail, food and beverage outlet consists of The Cream and Fudge Factory (ice cream store), Costa Coffee (café), Muscat Pharmacy, Sweets Factory (Sweets), DQ Grill and Chill (Restaurant), Dunkin Donuts (Sweets) and Subway (Sandwiches). At a later stage Muscat Duty Free will open additional stores. The exterior of the building has a large glassed area which means the waiting area for departing passengers offers an excellent vista of the apron and runway this will contribute towards a significant improvement in the passenger departing experience. (more)

The importance of education in Oman’s development is a matter of which the nation is aware at all levels. As an educator and researcher who has been based here for several years, I am acutely aware of the value access to quality information has for Omani students. Due to the dearth of academic books and libraries in the country, the tertiary education sector is largely dependent on the Internet in this respect. While search engines such as Google offer general information, academic research is enabled far more effectively by the research-specific Google Scholar website (http://scholar.google.com/schp).

To my great shock I have discovered that this website –– perhaps one of the most vital to research development in this emerging nation –– has been blocked by Omantel for the past week (http://www.omantel.net.om/new5.html?category=Pornography). Although I have emailed the company for a reversal of the decision, there has been no response as yet, and five calls to the company’s internet helpline have delivered no satisfactory explanation.

The implications of disabling one of the most powerful research tools available –– and one of the few available in Oman –– send shivers down the spine of any academic community this nation may aspire to. While the World Wide Web teems with morally dubious potential, this is not usually the concern of desiccated academics such as ourselves.

Information, of course, is a dangerous thing. However, we have to weigh that up against the greater danger of the lack of information. Yet the greatest peril of all is the lack of wisdom to select and use information wisely. That is the peril that actions such as these –– justifiably –– inspire.