‘Travel restrictions caused 21% drop in passenger movement at QAIA’

AMMAN — Passenger movement at Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) dropped by 21.1 per cent between January and March due to restrictions imposed on travel worldwide to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Airport International Group (AIG) announced on Sunday.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the AIG said that the airport welcomed a total of 1,518,069 passengers during the first quarter of this year.

The airport also witnessed 14,792 aircraft movements and processed 18,006 tonnes of air cargo, which dropped by 16.7 and 0.4 per cent, respectively.

On March 17, the government announced a temporary suspension of passenger flights via QAIA except for cargo, evacuation, emergency medical supplies and maintenance flights.

The effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on air travel restrictions started in February, when countries around the world began restricting or suspending flights to and from certain destinations, said AIG CEO Nicolas Claude.

Claude added that air travel in the Kingdom has been affected due to the closure of the airport, which can be seen through the quarterly statistics, noting that passenger movement in March dropped by some 66 per cent.

The CEO also stressed the group’s commitment to working closely with the government and airlines, in addition to local and international concerned authorities to ensure the airport’s ability to resume its activities under strict health procedures.