Long-Term parking at Bait Al Falaj

[Andreas1975]

There are five brand-new, unused Vickers VC10s sitting in the long-term parking area at Bait Al Falaj Airport (Oman).
It's not just Gharbi Air passengers who wonder, when boarding Gharbi Air's Bristols, why they aren't boarding the airline's ultra-modern VC10s. It's not that Gharbi's Bristols don't offer every conceivable comfort for its guests. It's just that passengers are drawn to seek out flight routes that offer the experience of flying on a jet. But no flights are offered on the VC10.
The only activity involving the long-term stored aircraft is the inspections required as part of long-term storage.
In Muscat and the surrounding area, there are rumors about what these aircraft are really all about. Are they perhaps military aircraft disguised as civilian ones? Do they serve another power for espionage? Or do they serve as an air-conditioned, luxurious stationary retreat for the emir's family?
But all these wild speculations have nothing to do with the truth behind them.
The simple fact is that the runway is simply too short for this type of aircraft. When we asked Gharbi Air why they purchased this aircraft, we were told that it was a mistake by the buyer, who allegedly misunderstood the ft/m specification. This is actually a rather implausible reason given by Gharbi Air.
The fact is, Muscat—and thus Oman—needs a modern airport for modern aircraft with an appropriate runway.