No Thanks, i would rather keep my dignity ....
Dear All,
I will start this topic and write the story under the advice of all those people that contacted me asking for info about OmanAir. As it is, they are right, and these things are meant to be shared for the sake of everyone.
I had a long deal of experience in OmanAir and in Oman, a gorgeous country with plenty of beauty and heart, an essential chapter of my life regardless of the experience to be negative or positive, it is an integral part of what I’m am today.
It is difficult to call it a plus or a minus, as I remember many beautiful things and many tough days, but I think I know what I remember most, a harsh lesson learned in a hard way:
Never call home a place where you are considered a guest; never call brothers people that do not consider you a part of the family regardless of what they say in your face.
As an Ex-pat OmanAir first officer, you should know what the deal is before you are invited to join, and if you don’t, you should immediately leave when you understand where the tricks are. I saw many people going just at the end of the two-year bond; I didn’t leave; now I am an old jobless first officer, they are all Captains with promising careers and happy families ahead.
I know, it was my decision and mine alone; I was lazy and naive; I can’t blame anybody else. But it must be said that OmanAir had a significant contribution in my Pilot Career to be majorly compromised.
It was due to Omanization that my upgrade to the left seat was so much prolonged, years and years of tough (very tough) roster commitment and honest hard work, without even the chance for an upgrade, all while watching the endless parade of local cadets, jumping you in the queue and celebrating the 4Th. Bar.
“Omanization” the name of the law that allows them to legally leave you behind, pure discrimination by citizenship/nationality that gives locals the right to take, inside and outside a company, upgrades, benefits, higher rank positions regardless of seniority, all things that were supposed to be shared equally between employees.
They might consider this their right; in 90% of the UN countries, it is “constitutionally” considered a human right violation to discriminate employees of the same company against nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
When the pandemic broke out, locals’ salaries cut was 20%, ex-pats salaries cut was 80%, Omanair started hiring Omanies coming back from other Middle East airlines and fired all ex-pats some months later.
When I now think of all the years in Oman, I sincerely always did my best to respect their culture and religion; I always felt like they really cared about it; year after year, I understood they never respected mine.