Oman Airports: Aerohacking a way to a more innovative future

It is so exciting that Oman Airports has been the host of the Airports Innovate conference. What are your key takeaways from this event?

I am really thrilled that the conference has started here in Oman and we have been blessed with a good number of companies that came to participate in the exhibition and there were some very nice papers that were presented. I think many of the delegates left the conference with good ideas which they can build on to get a better outcome for their own airports. I’ve heard a lot of positive comments about the speakers that have participated. When you hear a panel of airport leaders talking and discussing and giving their stories, it’s not a theory; it’s a case study that helps many other airports who have the same struggles.

What do your passengers expect from you now as an airport?

Following the pandemic, passengers are very keen to see cleanliness and hygiene of the toilets, the process in the security checks and other facilities, so we work hard to achieve this. During the pandemic, passengers panicked as they had a lot of documentation to produce and as a result, travel was not convenient, leisurely and enjoyable. Now it’s different. The atmosphere has returned, and the travel is enjoyable once more.

c: Oman Airports

As an airport leader and a CEO, how do you foster a culture of innovation that permeates the DNA of your company?

We have built an innovation lab and we are really looking forward to building on that investment and receiving lots of good ideas from the market to actually implement in Oman airports. Along with that, we did a hackathon. This ‘Aerohack’ hackathon generated over 320 ideas and we chose and cherry-picked three final ideas from 15 finalists which we think have potential for us and for many airports. We are actually incubating those three ideas and probably later on we’ll invest in those start-ups and look at them as a good strong companies in the private sector.

We always invest in IT: before the pandemic, during the pandemic and after the pandemic. We really believe in IT and innovation.

The hackathon will be held yearly. And every year it will be bigger than the previous year. And because we saw value in it, we will invest more in this field.

Believe me, once you start investing in technology, you can stop investing in buildings, because technology will create more ‘space’ in the terminal. By having better solutions such as eGates with facial recognition which eliminates the need for passports, it will make the process quicker. On the other hand, if you have a good X-ray machine that eliminates the need to remove laptops and liquids from your hand luggage, this will also speed up throughput. So, if you invest in technology and new machinery, you do not need to invest in adding square metres to the airport building.

Oman Airports’ stand at the Airports Innovate conference included an immersive experience showcasing the future of air travel.
c: Oman Airports

Are there any innovations that your team has come up with prior to the aero hack, which you are most proud of over the past year?

I’m proud of my team, they have been working day and night and it pays off. I think there are many bright ideas in many human minds in the world. But an idea is still an idea until you implement it on the ground. So, they have been brave enough to come and sell their idea to the committee. Normally, IT people have bright ideas but they cannot sell them. But my team has really had the breadth to sell the hackathon idea and the innovation lab, so I’m really proud of them.

This has happened because the company has invested in its people. We have a big budget for training, attending conferences and scholarships. So, this is the return on investment.

Tell us about your Board of Directors made up entirely of Gen Z

Once upon a time, I was visiting a friend and he told me a story about a company called Swatch, the watchmaker. Their sales were dropping, and someone told the owner that the company needed to rebrand. With most of the Swatch management team being over 50 years old, they decided to establish a youth board. When they recruited the youth board, Swatch transformed.

I took that idea when I heard it and implemented it. We held an election for the board and once they were elected, we gave them a budget, a mandate and let them work. I meet them once every quarter and their chairperson is allowed to sit in our management meeting once a month.

They have brought us some brilliant ideas. One of the ideas was to erect a big screen in the airport for the passengers to watch the World Cup, and we did, and it was very successful. They think differently. We think for our age and maybe for the elderly. They think for the new generation and question what do they want when they travel? It has helped us a lot. They are the airport’s think tank, not only for the staff, but also for the passengers.

What’s on your to-do list as an airport CEO for 2024?

I want to leave Oman! I want Oman Airports to own and manage airports outside Oman. This has been my dream for about four years. We’ve made some attempts, but it didn’t work out so we’re still in the market for other attempts.

What are you excited about for the future of airport development?

I’m keen to see how the travel experience will change in the next 10 years. What changes will happen? Because the check‑in counter is still the check-in counter. The baggage system is still the same thing. Yes, we have seen the introduction of eGates and facial recognition, I will grant that there have been some changes there. However, the process of travel hasn’t changed much when it comes to IT, so we really need to leverage the technology more to improve the travel experience. That’s the vision.

c: Oman Airports

Aimen Al Hosni is the Chief Executive Officer of Oman Airports. Al Hosni has made a substantial contribution to leading the historical transition and change in Oman Airports, culminating in the opening of Muscat International, Salalah, Duqm, and Sohar airports within just three years, from 2015 to 2018. Under his leadership, Oman Airports, which manages seven airports in the Sultanate of Oman, has transformed into one of the most prominent airports management companies in the Middle East and the world. In November 2021, he was voted as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Airports Council International, for the period that ended at the end of 2023. He is currently a member of the council as a former chairman for the period 2024 – 2025. He also continues to serve on the Board of Directors for the Regional Council of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East for the Airports Council International.