Oman airports to charge fee for ‘irregular’ baggage

Fees will be charged on baggage that is “too large, too light, too heavy and too fragile”

by Staff writer

August 7, 2018

Airports in Oman will now impose a fee on passengers for checking in ‘irregularly shaped luggage’, the Oman Airports Authority has confirmed.

The fee stands at OMR2.5 ($6.5) for ‘out of gauge’ baggage and OMR4 ($10.4) for ‘super out of gauge’ baggage – which requires being processed through a lift.

The fee amount collected will be distributed between ground-handlers and the airport operator.

On its website, the Oman Airports Authority lists defines ‘out of gauge’ baggage as luggage that –

Does not meet the minimum dimensions (30cm x 8cm x 7.5cm)
Exceeds the maximum dimensions (100cm x 75cm x 60cm)
Weighs less than 7kg
Is fragile or does not have at least one flat surface
May damage or reduce system capacity
TV’s and flat panel displays (maximum permitted screen size – 43 inches)

“Out-of-gauge baggage is basically baggage that is too large, too light, too heavy, too fragile, does not have at least one flat surface, or can damage or reduce the system capacity,” it said.

“Baggage longer than 100cm long, 60cm height and 75cm wide, or that does not have a single flat surface, will need to be dropped at the oversized baggage counter. Please allow extra time to check-in oversized baggage,” it added.

Certain items will be excluded from the charges including wheelchairs, strollers, golf bags and musical instruments.

Generally two pieces of baggage are allowed for international travel, with the total weight not exceeding 32kg. However this may vary by airline and fare type.

The move to charge fees was imposed to reduce the number of ‘difficult-to-handle’ baggage items which electronic scanners may struggle to read and which may be damaged or lost during operation handling, the authority said.

The new baggage rules have been introduced to help improving baggage services for all passengers at the Muscat and Salalah airports, it added.

Also read: Oman airport taxi fares to decrease by 50% – report

Muscat’s new passenger terminal opened earlier this year, offering baggage processing capacity of 5,500 bags per hour.

The facility also has 96 check-in counters, 29 passenger boarding bridges, 30 aircraft remote stands, two parallel runways and an airside hotel with 90 rooms.

Other