Sur, OM 🇴🇲 Closed Airport
ICAO
OM-0038
IATA
-
Elevation
20 ft
Region
OM-SH
Local Time
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 22.537729° N, 59.479766° E
Continent: Asia
Type: Closed Airport
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The airport was effectively closed and rendered obsolete in the mid-to-late 2010s. Its closure coincided with the development and construction of the new Ras al Hadd Airport (OORH), which was completed around 2018. An exact official closure date is not publicly documented, as it was a basic airstrip that gradually fell into disuse rather than being formally decommissioned through a public announcement.
The primary reason for the closure was replacement and redundancy. The Omani government constructed the new, modern Ras al Hadd Airport (IATA: RAH, ICAO: OORH) approximately 40 km to the east of Sur as part of a national strategy to develop a network of regional airports to boost tourism and economic activity. The old Sur airstrip was an unpaved, rudimentary facility with no significant infrastructure, making it completely obsolete with the advent of the new, fully-equipped airport designed to handle larger aircraft.
The site of the former airport is currently abandoned and unused for any formal purpose. Recent satellite imagery shows the faint, degraded outline of the single runway (oriented approximately 03/21). The area is undeveloped desert land, and the former airstrip is being slowly reclaimed by the natural environment, with numerous vehicle tracks now crisscrossing the runway path. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure, such as buildings, hangars, or lighting, on the site.
The old Sur Airport was a simple, unpaved airstrip that served as a crucial air link for the historically significant coastal city of Sur before the modern highway network was fully developed. It did not handle scheduled commercial passenger services. Its operations were limited to small, STOL-capable (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft. The airstrip was primarily used for functional purposes, including flights by the Royal Oman Police Air Wing for surveillance and transport, medical evacuations, government-related travel, and logistical support for industrial operations in the region, such as those by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). Its importance was in providing essential air access to a relatively remote area.
There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the old Sur airstrip. All regional aviation investment and strategic focus are directed towards the new Ras al Hadd Airport. The old site is considered permanently closed and holds no place in Oman's future transportation or aviation development plans. Its reopening would be economically and logistically unviable.