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MUSCAT, Oman — May 9, 2026 — The Muttrah Cable Car project has confirmed that a dedicated safety-training program with the Civil Defense and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) will run from September 21 to September 25, ahead of the still-unannounced official opening. The operator, Muttrah Teleferik, said the five-day session is the latest step in preparing the system to meet internationally recognized safety and emergency-response standards.
Muttrah Teleferik revealed the September training window after CDAA personnel and members of the National Search and Rescue Team visited the project to assess operational readiness, emergency plans, and the overall state of its safety systems. The visit covered the cable car network’s key operational areas and was part of the approval process that will ultimately allow the attraction to receive its final government clearances.
In a statement, Muttrah Teleferik said the upcoming training was designed to sharpen its teams’ preparedness and align the project’s safety procedures with global best practices.
“As part of our preparations to open Muttrah Cable Car, and our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety and operational readiness, we will be conducting a specialized training program in cooperation with the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority,” the company said.
The dates are set for Monday, September 21 through Friday, September 25, 2026. While the company has not disclosed the full training agenda, the program is expected to focus on emergency coordination, rescue procedures, station operations, and visitor-care protocols. Officials familiar with cable car projects say such drills are normally tailored to the specific station layout, cabin type, and terrain of each installation.
The training announcement adds to a series of safety milestones for the project. Earlier this year, the cable car system completed the first stage of an independent inspection and certification process led by an international organization based in Europe that specializes in cable car safety audits.
Khalid al Nabhani, CEO of Sabeen Group and owner of the Muttrah Cable Car project, told the Observer that the first-stage assessment was successfully concluded. He said the next step is to submit the resulting documents to relevant government authorities for review.
“The first stage involved an international organisation that certifies execution and conducts safety inspections. We recently concluded this process successfully. We will soon submit these documents to the relevant government authorities for review,” Al Nabhani explained.
This European-led audit is significant because Oman has limited local experience with cable car systems. Apart from Muttrah Cable Car, the only other known cable car project in the country is located at the Oman Botanic Garden in Al Khoud. That limited track record meant developers had to bring in outside expertise to establish a safety framework from scratch.
Al Nabhani acknowledged this challenge directly, noting that there were no specific local standards available to follow. Instead, the contracted European company brought in a dedicated safety and certification department specifically to handle the project’s requirements.
The certification process was extensive, according to Al Nabhani. Specialists carried out a detailed examination of the entire infrastructure, inspecting the structural elements with advanced diagnostic tools that were new even to the project team.
“They used specialised diagnostic tools — some of which we were seeing for the very first time. For instance, imaging equipment similar to medical scanners in hospitals was used to verify structural compliance,” he said.
That level of scrutiny matters because a cable car system involves not just cabins and haul ropes, but also support towers, station machinery, braking systems, communication links, and evacuation strategies. Each component must be verified before the system is cleared for passenger use.
The project subsequently met the European standards set by the specialists, according to Al Nabhani. It also secured preliminary approvals from various government entities and project consultants, keeping the timeline moving forward even though no official opening date has been fixed.
Muttrah Teleferik has also confirmed that construction work across the cable car’s three stations has been completed. Selected retailers are currently setting up their outlets, suggesting that the project is entering its final fit-out phase.
The three stations are:
The Hayy Al-Ward area is also slated to include fountain features as part of a broader effort to integrate the cable car into a family-oriented visitor experience. The stations themselves are designed to house family, entertainment, and cultural attractions, adding to the overall appeal beyond the cable car ride itself.
The Muttrah Cable Car system will operate 18 cable cars in total. Standard cabins will carry eight passengers each, while two dedicated VIP cabins — configured with four seats each — will be available for special purposes.
The mixed fleet gives operators flexibility for standard tourist flows while also accommodating guests who may require a more private or premium experience. That setup is common in modern cable car systems that serve both high-volume sightseeing and event-related functions.
Despite the progress, the Muttrah project still needs to clear several official review stages before it can open to the public.
According to Al Nabhani, the next steps will involve final inspections and clearance from the Civil Defense and Ambulance Authority, followed by approval from the Royal Oman Police and Muscat Municipality. These are the three bodies whose sign-off will effectively allow the project to begin commercial operations.
No launch date has been announced yet. The lack of a fixed opening date suggests that authorities are taking a cautious approach, prioritizing safety and regulatory compliance over speed. For a tourism-oriented project of this kind, that caution is likely intended to reassure future passengers as much as officials.
The Muttrah cable car has been watched closely in Oman because it represents a new kind of urban tourism infrastructure for the capital. Connecting the port area to a mountain summit and the Hayy Al-Ward neighborhood, the ride will offer views over Muscat and make a direct link between the waterfront and higher ground.
For international visitors, the cable car is expected to become a noticeable addition to Muscat’s itinerary options, especially for cruise passengers and first-time tourists looking for a scenic orientation above the city. The presence of an operator-specific training program with CDAA also signals that emergency-response planning is being treated as a core part of the launch process.
From a broader Gulf perspective, the project is part of a gradual shift toward specialized leisure transport in the region. While many cities in the Middle East have invested heavily in metro systems and road networks, aerial cable cars remain relatively rare in Oman. That makes the European certification and emergency planning work here particularly important as a template for future systems in the country.
When the Muttrah Cable Car does open, its ability to point to a completed international certification and structured responder training could become a key part of its public image. Safety credentials are often a deciding factor for visitors considering an unfamiliar aerial lift, especially in a market where cable cars are still new.
By scheduling the CDAA training weeks before the expected approval phase, Muttrah Teleferik is signaling that it intends to have the operational and emergency-response pieces in place well before the first passengers board. That approach may also help smooth the final government review process, since CDAA inspectors will be able to see the operator’s teams working through realistic emergency scenarios.
For now, the project is in a waiting period: construction is complete, retail is being fitted out, safety documents are being prepared for submission, and the September training will serve as another formal checkpoint before Oman’s latest tourism attraction moves closer to reality.
