Manama: Oman has decided to reopen its airports for international flight operations from October 1, 2020, after being closed for more than five months due to the coronavirus.
The country's Supreme Committee on COVID-19 said it would resume international flights to and from the sultanate next month in accordance with precautionary measures. Flights will be scheduled subject to the health data of destinations, place of origin of inbound flights, and as per the bilateral agreements with other airlines, the Supreme Committee on COVID-19 said.
Following the supreme committee decision, Oman Aviation Group has issued safety protocols to protect staff dealing with passengers and cargo at airports.
All companies operating at the airport should follow these procedures to stem the spread of coronavirus among passengers, ground staff and air crews, Mustafa Al Hinai, CEO of the company said.
The aviation sector is among the well-regulated sectors, either locally or internationally, under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the local Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), he added.
They have their own mandates in terms of how to establish safety and security protocols within airports, and under such circumstances, there are also national regulations set by the Ministry of Health.
Oman’s airports and all airlines flying from the country including Oman Air and Salam Air, have to follow security protocols that ensure that Oman’s operations in terms of aviation is sustainable, and that there is no impact in terms of inbound travel to the country,” added Al Hinai.
All of the staff inside airport offices also have to wear personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, and undergo light sanitisation before they enter the building.
Oman Air said it is planning to restart scheduled operations from October amid a set of precautionary measures.
No additional details of the reopening have been released, but it's likely that Oman will categorise destinations based on the scale of the coronavirus outbreak in each country.
Though the country has not announced the entry conditions including Covid-19 tests and quarantine for passengers to Oman. Airports in Oman has finished the installation and operation of PCR testing solutions.
The UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain have allowed expats to return to the country. In Bahrain, passengers are subject to two PCR tests for Covid-19 at their own expense and self-isolation until test results are ready.
Pre-flight Covid-19 test negative results are mandatory for passengers travelling to the UAE and Kuwait. Passengers to Kuwait have to produce a negative test result with a medical certificate and be subject to self-isolation for 14 days. Tourists travelling to Dubai (DXB) must have health insurance and are subject to medical screening.
Oman has grounded all flights, domestic and international to and from its airports from March 29. However, both national and foreign airlines were allowed to operate for the repatriation of expats.
