Airport International Group (AIG), the Jordanian consortium responsible for the rehabilitation, expansion, and operation of the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA), recently announced its May traffic results. Statistics showed new records in QAIA passenger and aircraft movement (ACM), passenger numbers exceeded 479,000, a remarkable 17.3% increase compared to May 2011. ACM registered around 5,600 movements, a 5.7% increase compared to May 2011. Cargo also witnessed positive growth with over 7,500 tons, a 4.0% increase compared to same month last year.
In terms of year-to-date passenger traffic, more than 2,400,000 passengers have travelled through the QAIA from January 2012 to the end of May, an impressive 21.5% increase over the same five-month period in 2011. The year-to-date aircraft movement at the conclusion of May recorded over 26,500, a 7.0% increase over the same period in 2011. The total year-to-date amount of cargo was nearly 37,000 tons at the end of May, a 7.0% increase over the same period last year.
AIG is investing an estimated US $750 million to construct a landmark new terminal- now 85% complete- which will serve as a source of pride and prosperity for all Jordanians. This new terminal will significantly increase the airport capacity to 9 million passengers annually- the current airport capacity is a mere 3.5 million passengers annually- and allows for future expansion to 12 million passengers annually. AIG has also spent US $100 million on rehabilitating and improving the existing terminals, to enable them to handle the continuous growth the airport is experiencing.
Source: Airport International Group