Jordan Daily – His Majesty King Abdullah II visited Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) on Monday and inaugurated two new projects aimed at strengthening Jordan’s role as a regional hub for logistics, air cargo, aviation training and aircraft maintenance.
His Majesty began the visit by laying the foundation stone for Royal Jordanian’s air cargo operations centre, part of a project to develop cargo operations to enhance Jordan’s capacity to meet the growing demands of the logistics sector, with an investment of approximately $40 million.
The King listened to a briefing by Royal Jordanian CEO Samer Majali on the project, which currently provides airfreight services for various types of cargo to 54 global destinations, particularly medical supplies, perishable goods, and high-value cargo.
His Majesty was briefed on plans to expand the centre’s operations and develop shipping processes.
The King also inaugurated the new “Hangar 7” building of the Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Company (JORAMCO) and was briefed by Jeffrey Wilkinson, CEO of Dubai Aerospace Engineering, on the aircraft maintenance, repair, and refurbishment services provided by the company to more than 60 international airlines.
The total area of the new building exceeds 12,000 square metres, and it was constructed through an investment of $30 million with the aim of increasing the company’s annual capacity to 240 aircraft of various sizes.
JORAMCO’s current facilities cover an area of 257,000 square metres and include six aircraft hangars, 22 maintenance lines, and 10 workshops.
The briefing also covered the JORAMCO Academy, a training centre specialising in aircraft maintenance and repair that offers academic programmes combining theoretical and practical aspects, including a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering/maintenance, in collaboration with the University of Jordan.
His Majesty’s tour of the airport also included the Jordan Airline Training and Simulation Company (JATS), where he was briefed on JATS’ work in training pilots and crews for local and regional airlines using flight simulation systems.
According to a briefing by Majali, JATS, which is the training arm of Royal Jordanian, conducted more than 14,000 hours of training last year, reflecting the Kingdom’s position as a leading regional centre for aviation training.
The King also toured JATS’ facilities and viewed the new simulation and training device, the ‘Embraer E2 Full Flight Simulator,’ which is certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh accompanied His Majesty on the visit.
