Want to save hefty parking fee at Oman’s new International Airport?

Muscat: Frequent flyers never again need to stress over the cost of long-stay parking at the airport, thanks to three Omani innovators.

Zajil  is a service that allows you to drive your car to the airport and have the company pick it up and drop it at your house or your designated location.

Ali Al Bimani, Co-Founder of Zajil said, “A customer has to book 24 hours in advance and give us the details of the car and the expected time of arrival at the airport. We make sure to be there before you arrive, and when you arrive, you must sign the terms and conditions agreement. We then drive your car to your home or anywhere else, as per your request.” 

“We give the car keys to the person suggested by you and receive his/her signature upon receipt. You can pay via mobile banking or cash. It can also work the other way around, when you return from your trip,” he added.

Earlier, Omani daily Times of Oman reported, Motorists using the carpark at Oman’s newly opened Muscat International Airport will have to pay more than double the old fees. The fees – which were previously $1.3 at the old airport, are now $5 per hour parking. Two hours – which previously cost $2.60 – is now $8.

In addition, those parked in the short-stay parking will have to pay an additional $52 daily after a full 24 hours – with an additional $13 added after the third day’s parking in the long-term section.

Al Zajil Ideal Trade L.L.C was established in 2015 by Ali Al Bimani, 35, and Mohammed Al-Aufi, 29.

The idea behind Zajil is to provide an innovative transportation service that would solve the problem of wasted time and effort in driving cars to service centres.

Al Bimani said: "One of our objectives is to provide more options for frequent flyers who need to drive to the airport independently and without paying large sums on airport parking fees."

The airport service currently only covers Muscat Governorate, at a fixed price of OMR6 one-way and OMR11 for a return trip.

The profits from the company are used to fund volunteering and community work in the Sultanate. "The owners are very passionate about giving back to the community, and so, that is where the profit goes," Al Bimani added.

The services include driving the customers’ cars from the airport to their homes and vice versa, driving customers’ cars to service centres and vice versa, and a transportation brokerage for companies that require pick-up and drop-off services to and from the airport for their employees.

The success of such a service depends on building trust between the consumer and the company. "It wasn’t easy at all to win people’s trust," Al Bimani said, adding, "Over time, the issue of trust has been improving, thanks to the popularity and reputation of our brand and concept. Furthermore, our transparency and warranty policies have been helping build trust with our consumers."

This year, Zajil brought in Salim Zahran Al Bimani, 36, as its third business partner.

Similar to any other start-up, Zajil faced challenges related to the official registration at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry due to the uniqueness of its business concept and the lack of regulations related to it, but after all, it was worth it, Al Bimani said.