🇴🇲 RAFO Masirah Airport

RAFO Masirah (IATA: MSH, ICAO: OOMA) is a military airport located on Masirah Island in Oman. It operates as a Royal Air Force of Oman base, with civil and commercial cargo activity being secondary.

Notable Features and History:

• The RAF first showed interest in Masirah in 1929, establishing an unmanned staging post. A larger airfield was developed during World War II for anti-submarine operations and as a staging post to the Far East.
• The base was the final staging area for the "Desert One" mission, the American attempt to rescue hostages from the Tehran embassy in 1979.
• In 1981, Oman and the United States signed a "facilities access" agreement, granting the US limited access to the air base. This led to significant improvements, including hardened aircraft shelters, lengthened and strengthened runways, and extensive support facilities.
• During the 1990-91 Gulf War, Masirah served as an important staging area for the movement of coalition forces, hosting over 3,000 US troops at its peak.
• The airport has two asphalt paved runways: 07/25 measuring 2,574 by 45 meters (8,445 ft × 148 ft) and 17/35 measuring 3,050 by 45 meters (10,007 ft × 148 ft).

Current Status: RAFO Masirah continues to operate as a military airport. It also has limited commercial flights, with SalamAir offering routes to Duqm and Muscat. The island is accessible by a daily ferry service or by Oman Air's domestic flights.

*Sources researched: en.wikipedia.org, freight-academy.com, globalsecurity.org, airport-data.com*