The Omani authorities said a new passenger terminal will be opened for Duqm Airport on Sept. 17 in a move to boost the Duqm Free Zone.

The announcement was made by Ministry of Transport and Communications on Tuesday, where the ministry head Ahmed al Futaisi hailed the project as a contribution to the revitalization of Oman's tourism and socioeconomic status.

The airport, which is in line with the latest international standards, is expected to be a value added to other economic projects in the economic zone, Futaisi noted.

Oman is seeing expanding foreign investment in the Gulf state, especially in the Duqm Free Zone, where Chinese investment alone is expected to hit 10.7 billion U.S. dollars by 2022.

Moreover, an oil refinery with a production capacity of about 230,000 barrels per day will be established as part of the project of Omani-Chinese industrial city in the free zone.

The Omani government is also working to develop the Duqm economic zone and its sea port to diversify the country's oil-dependent sources of energy.

Oman's oil production is 1 million barrels per day, and has fallen sharply since mid-2014.