DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW / LONDON
Charter carrier to take advantage of open-sky area at Aqaba with A310 widebodies
Middle East charter carrier Jordan Aviation is to launch services from the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba using a fleet of Airbus A310s.
The Amman-based private airline will take advantage of the greater flexibility offered to companies operating from Aqaba, which was designated a special economic zone three years ago. The three- year-old airline has until now operated ad hoc charters from Amman's second airport Marka, but this will change with the transfer to a new base at Aqaba, says Jordan Aviation founder Capt Mohammad Al Khashman. "It is an 'open sky' area - there is no monopoly for any carrier or the government-run airlines. Because of its unique location - close to [Israeli resort] Eilat and [Egypt's] Sharm el-Sheikh - there is the opportunity to do more business with Aqaba."
Jordan Aviation, which has a Boeing 737-300 and a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar freighter, has signed a letter of intent with Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise to purchase an ex-Singapore Airlines Airbus A310-200 operated by Middle East Airlines. This aircraft will go into service early next month, initially on flights to Istanbul. "We are planning to take another two A310s as soon as business picks up," he says. One of the A310s could be in the fleet by the end of the year.
The network will initially be expanded to nearby points such as Beirut, in Lebanon, and Egyptian capital Cairo, with services to Barcelona, Milan and Paris following in the coming months. Al Khashman adds that the longer-term ambition is to operate to destinations in Canada and the USA.
Source: Flight International
