03 February 2013
Muscat: The Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) has outsourced porter service for baggage assistance at Muscat International Airport and Salalah Airport to a private company.
As a result of this initiative, a large number of locals have been replaced by expatriates from South Asian countries, following "complaints from passengers".
Confirming this decision, a senior official at OAMC said this would help airport operations to run more smoothly.
"Sometimes, we require more manpower, and sometimes we need fewer people to handle the trolley services.
"The private company will be able to handle our requirements with more manpower during peak hours in the evening and late at night, when more flights are in operation," the OAMC official stated.
OAMC charges OMR1.5 for a porter and trolley service at the airport.
Earlier, there was a total of some 24 staff members, working in shifts. "Now, these staff members have been shifted to other departments at the OAMC, where they will be trained to do something else," he remarked.
The private company that has been given this job will now have 18 staff members on every shift [two or three shifts, depending on the peak hour rush]. "Apart from attendant service, they will also help with keeping the airport clean, which they have been doing for almost 10 years," the official said.
'No more delays'
Welcoming this move, Lakshman Weerasooriya, the country manager of Sri Lankan Airlines-Oman, said this would definitely help the passengers. "There are no more delays in baggage service and attendant service," he noted.
It may be recalled that some complaints had been made about the attendant service.
"Apart from delays in departure, the baggage of arriving passengers wasn't transferred to the conveyor belts, leaving passengers stranded for a couple of hours," complained a senior official of a private airline that operates daily flights from Muscat International Airport.
There were also complaints about the shortage in manpower during peak hours and late at night.
Last year, in March, some 200 people took part in a flash strike, demanding extra allowances and leave, which led to numerous flight delays at Muscat International Airport.
Baggage handlers
At the time, baggage kept accumulating since OAMC had failed to reach an understanding with the striking workers, which included baggage handlers and drivers.
The strike was withdrawn only after senior officials met with the employees and agreed to look into their demands.
The striking workers had demanded extra allowances to cover the rising cost of living and extended leave. They also wanted their shifts to be eight hours a day and not nine hours.
Passenger traffic through Muscat International Airport rose by 16 per cent to 7.5 million at the end of December 2012, compared with 6.4 million passengers for 2011.
According to statistics released by the Air Transport Department at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation, the number of arriving passengers rose by 17 per cent to 3.8 million, compared with 3.2 million in the corresponding period last year. The number of passengers flying out also increased by 16 per cent to 3.6 million, compared with 3.1 million last year.
Muscat: The Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) has outsourced porter service for baggage assistance at Muscat International Airport and Salalah Airport to a private company.
As a result of this initiative, a large number of locals have been replaced by expatriates from South Asian countries, following "complaints from passengers".
Confirming this decision, a senior official at OAMC said this would help airport operations to run more smoothly.
"Sometimes, we require more manpower, and sometimes we need fewer people to handle the trolley services.
"The private company will be able to handle our requirements with more manpower during peak hours in the evening and late at night, when more flights are in operation," the OAMC official stated.
OAMC charges OMR1.5 for a porter and trolley service at the airport.
Earlier, there was a total of some 24 staff members, working in shifts. "Now, these staff members have been shifted to other departments at the OAMC, where they will be trained to do something else," he remarked.
The private company that has been given this job will now have 18 staff members on every shift [two or three shifts, depending on the peak hour rush]. "Apart from attendant service, they will also help with keeping the airport clean, which they have been doing for almost 10 years," the official said.
'No more delays'
Welcoming this move, Lakshman Weerasooriya, the country manager of Sri Lankan Airlines-Oman, said this would definitely help the passengers. "There are no more delays in baggage service and attendant service," he noted.
It may be recalled that some complaints had been made about the attendant service.
"Apart from delays in departure, the baggage of arriving passengers wasn't transferred to the conveyor belts, leaving passengers stranded for a couple of hours," complained a senior official of a private airline that operates daily flights from Muscat International Airport.
There were also complaints about the shortage in manpower during peak hours and late at night.
Last year, in March, some 200 people took part in a flash strike, demanding extra allowances and leave, which led to numerous flight delays at Muscat International Airport.
Baggage handlers
At the time, baggage kept accumulating since OAMC had failed to reach an understanding with the striking workers, which included baggage handlers and drivers.
The strike was withdrawn only after senior officials met with the employees and agreed to look into their demands.
The striking workers had demanded extra allowances to cover the rising cost of living and extended leave. They also wanted their shifts to be eight hours a day and not nine hours.
Passenger traffic through Muscat International Airport rose by 16 per cent to 7.5 million at the end of December 2012, compared with 6.4 million passengers for 2011.
According to statistics released by the Air Transport Department at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation, the number of arriving passengers rose by 17 per cent to 3.8 million, compared with 3.2 million in the corresponding period last year. The number of passengers flying out also increased by 16 per cent to 3.6 million, compared with 3.1 million last year.
© Times of Oman 2013
