ACU-JULY-2020 4th Draft

C OVE R STORY
MATEEN Express
Iraq's link to the world
By Gemma Q. Casas
It was one of those shining moments for Eng. Majid Saidgul
Babasheikh Barzanji, a well-established family man and
entrepreneur held in high-esteem in the air cargo industry.
Majid, the Chairman & Executive Director of MATEEN Express &
Logistics Iraq, who also serves as the Executive Board Member
of the National Association of Freight and Logistics-UAE (NAFL)
and chairs the Courier & e-Commerce Subcommittee, recalls
how the logistics industry pulled through during the early days
of the Coronavirus pandemic out of China.
Heading a great team that is passionate about air transport and
logistics, Majid was among the movers and shakers who led the
industry out of the woods and on stable ground, particularly in
Iraq, his home turf.
“Through our good communications with different
governmental departments across multiple regions, we quickly
obtained the necessary permits for 3 main activities: clearing the
inbound traffic of shipments already in the pipeline; transferring
these cargoes to our national hub for sorting and storing; and
lastly the one we are most proud of, delivering the necessary
shipments to their final addresses,” he said in this exclusive
interview with Air Cargo Update.
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Majid has not blinked an eye on what lies ahead for the industry
in light of the current situation.
“I think the pandemic has proven that the air cargo industry is, in
general, robust and agile, adapting to situations quickly and
creatively. The same goes for the supply chain and logistics
generally.
“Every element and every aspect of our industry has room for
improvements and optimization. Collaboration within same
company or group, reaching out to rivals, going untapped path,
involving more technology, changing or modernizing the rules
and regulations, we will see all these and many more as time
unfolds,” he said.
Read on the rest of his insights in this Q&A.
The Covid-19 pandemic required quick and extraordinary
commitment from the air cargo and logistics sectors to
deliver valuable cargo like medical supplies to sustain lives
and livelihood. How did Mateen Express handle the
situation?
We handled it quite well, fortunately, I would say in two stages,
and here is how.