07 Sep 2023
Salalah – Oman Airports: Today, Thursday, September 7, 2023, Salalah Airport successfully experienced the launch of the test flight for the first handling and cargo service. The service links Salalah Airport, one of the most prominent and renowned airports in the Middle East and North Africa, with the Port of Salalah, one of the largest seaports in the Middle East, in what will be a first-ever operation. This unique process aims to connect ocean freights with air freights in the Sultanate of Oman.
In cooperation with the Directorate General of Customs of the Royal Oman Police, and the Port of Salalah, the provision of this service is part of Oman Airports’ efforts to coordinate with all national stakeholders seeking to consolidate the integrated system, which forms one the main areas on which the logistics strategy of Oman Vision 2040 is based. The successful roll-out of the service is set to be achieved with the collective efforts of all relevant authorities, and will see the connection of the air cargo terminal building at Salalah Airport with the Port of Salalah. The result will be greater integration between air ports and sea ports in the country.
The first operation shipment arrived at the Salalah Port via Maersk Logistics today, Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 11:00 a.m., and came from Colombo Port. It was shipped on September 3 to be delivered to Salalah Airport and then handled at the airport through Transom Handling, one of Oman Airports’ subsidiary companies. Subsequently, it will be re-shipped via Qatar Airways to its final destination, Cairo International Airport. This connection experience was in its full extent successful in terms of the collective efforts of all parties involved, and the speed of handling. This successful shipment represents the first of what will be many more similar commercial operations in the future.
Maritime/Air transportation is one of the multimodal transportation solutions that combines the cost-effectiveness of ocean-shipping and the speed of air shipping within the supply chain. This is now considered one of the most convenient solutions due to its reliability, and its compatibility with the challenges of higher costs required by air freighting, and longer delivery times associated with shipping.
Mr. Abdul Nasser Abdullah al Yamani, Vice President of Business Development at Oman Airports, stated: “We are pleased to congratulate all strategic partners with regards to the success of linking the air cargo terminal building at Salalah Airport with the Port of Salalah. Thus, today’s flight documented the beginning of a new phase in the history of sea and air freight in the Sultanate of Oman, praise be to Allah. In this regard, we take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks, on behalf of Oman Airports, to all the teams working in the General Directorate of Customs of the Royal Oman Police, the Port of Salalah, Transom Handling, and Maersk Logistics for their huge efforts to overcome obstacles and improve business, in order to serve public interest. These collective efforts have made this success a reality – and it will open the door to broader horizons, future shipments, and ongoing successes.”
Mr. Zakaria Yaqoub Al Harrasi, Executive Vice President of Salalah Airport, added: “We can be truly proud that the name of Salalah Airport will go down in the history of Oman’s maritime/air transportation as the gateway that recorded the first connection between a port and an airport to provide air/sea freight service. The efforts of the wise government and its development plans are evident today, as the Sultanate’s airports were established according to the latest specifications and were supplemented with cargo buildings according to the highest international standards. Furthermore, they were established not far from sea ports and are equipped with the latest handling and shipping services. These airports and ports have been empowered with teams that work day and night to promote the Sultanate’s name as a very important regional and global economic hub, and they take full advantage of this infrastructure to achieve the required integration. This was all accomplished with the help of a comprehensive strategic plan that now comes to fruition, praise be to Allah. I would like to reiterate my thanks to all parties involved – without whose efforts we would not have been able to achieve this landmark milestone, which will certainly serve to showcase the potential of Oman’s airports, and the potential of the Sultanate in the global economy.”
For his part, Engineer Saud Abdulaziz Al-Azizi, Executive Director of Transom Handling, one of Oman Airports’ subsidiary companies, added: “We congratulate everyone on the success of this test flight, which achieved its goals according to the prepared plans, praise be to Allah. This, in return, confirms the harmony, coordination and integration between airports, ports and all relevant parties in the Sultanate of Oman and indicates the high-performance levels of the teams working in air cargo operations and ground handling, both in terms of speed and accuracy.”
The Executive Director of Transom Handling added that the efforts exerted by all relevant parties alike are the cornerstone for the success of this flight: “We are proud that our contribution to its completion was pivotal, praise be to Allah. This emphasizes the readiness of our teams in Transom Handling to handle this type of logistical connection according to the highest standards, stressing that our airports are ready to move to the higher stages within this important logistical chain launched by today’s flight.”
The Salalah Airport Cargo Terminal
The cargo terminal at Salalah Airport is spread over an area of 20,000 square meters and has a current annual operating capacity of 50,000 tons, which can be expanded up to 100,000 tons annually. The cargo terminal at Salalah Airport, opened in January 2019, will gain great importance due to its location and the best possible facilities it has for transporting goods via land, air and sea routes.
The facility has special refrigerators to preserve special goods such as perishable pharmaceuticals and dangerous goods. Another important facility is the live animal centre extending over an area of 2,500 square metres. It can accommodate all live animals and contains tools and equipment to ensure sufficient space and care for the animals before they are transported or delivered to the aircraft.
The facility is also equipped with quarantine and storage facilities for hazardous materials and radioactive materials which are stored in a safe and isolated environment. The facility has 14 loading and unloading workstations and offices for import, export, and goods clearance. It has been taken into account to make the facility a one-stop shop for efficient and rapid handling. It is worth noting that “Transom Handling” is the ground and cargo handling company at Salalah Airport.
Notably, Salalah Airport, a “Gateway to opportunity and beauty” in the Sultanate of Oman, which operates under the management of Oman Airports, recently received for the fifth year in a row, a five-star rating in the 2023 SKYTRAX airlines rankings, in recognition of its prestige, and enhanced performance. The award also reflects the airport’s constant endeavours to achieve the highest levels of operational excellence.
Salalah Airport was also awarded: the Best Airport Award in the Two Million Passengers category in the Middle East; the Most Dedicated Airport Employee Award in Serving Passengers in the Middle East; the Easiest Travel Procedures Award in the Middle East; and the Cleanest Airport in the Middle East Award. Airports Council International (ACI) in partnership with Amadeus IT Group, announced the names of these winning awards at the 2022 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.
In September 2022, Salalah Airport also won the award for the best airport in the Middle East in terms of quality of services, and 3rd best airport in the Middle East for its safety measures during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 – 2022 at the awards ceremony held on the sidelines of the Customer Experience Global Summit 2022, organized by ACI in Krakow, Poland.
Salalah Airport also ranked 9th in the category of airport service quality (in the less than two million passengers annually category). Operations and services at the airport continued to achieve progress through significant improvements year after year, until Salalah Airport climbed to 4th in 2019, in terms of classification in the same category besides the two international awards mentioned previously.
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