Muscat: Procedures put in place to quickly clear cargo shipments coming into the country have helped bring vital supplies into Oman during the pandemic.
According to Mustafa Al Hinai, GCEO of Oman Aviation Group, "Air cargo has been the backbone of our operations to sustain the country, in terms of food, medical supplies, and other shipments.
He added: "Our ground handling is ready to handle all courier services, our team is ready to handle all the parcels that come our way and we provide fast processing times, unless there are any hazardous materials within."
The COVID-19 pandemic has of course brought with it challenges, some of which were outside the control of Oman Aviation Group.
"The problem for us was one of timing, because some goods that needed to come in two or three days would take upto five or six days to come," explained Al Hinai. "This was a challenge, especially for goods that came from countries like the US because we have no direct link to that country."
He added: "Shipments would therefore go elsewhere first and then come here and that would take more time, because other countries also developed new screening and sanitisation processes for all cargo shipments.
"Our national airlines, Oman Air and Salam Air, have also followed all the protocols required during the pandemic, as well as all the airlines that operate in the country."