Airport International Group (AIG), the Jordanian company responsible for the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA), has reported a 15.3 per cent growth in year-on-year passenger traffic (PAX) at the QAIA in September, compared to the same month last year.

 

It also recorded a 6.3 per cent year-on-year increase in aircraft movements (ACM) against last September, said a statement.

 

Following the record-breaking months of July and August, September marks the third consecutive month in which QAIA has registered a year-on-year PAX upsurge, attributed not only to the airport’s expanding airline network, but also to leisure and expat travels during the high summer season.

 

During September, QAIA welcomed more than 708,400 PAX compared to 614,336 PAX and registered 6,796 aircraft movements (ACM) as opposed to 6,395 ACM last year. Meanwhile, in September, QAIA handled 8,308 tonnes of cargo as opposed to 8,971 tonnes during the same month in 2014, registering a drop of 7.4 per cent.  

 

The year-to-date (YTD) cargo traffic figures have increased by 6.3 per cent, reaching 73,559 tonnes since the beginning of this year. On the other hand, YTD PAX witnessed a slight fall of 0.3 per cent to come in at 5.5 million PAX, while YTD ACM decreased by 2.5 per cent to settle at 54,638 ACM.

 

Kjeld Binger, Airport International Group chief executive officer, said: “In addition to a general increase in passenger traffic to and from Gulf, Turkish, Libyan, Iraqi and European markets, September also marked the occurrence of the Hajj and Eid Al Adha season, stimulating traffic and enabling QAIA to improve upon the past year’s passenger numbers for the third month in a row.

 

“The recently-witnessed upswing in passenger traffic can also be attributed to recent expansions in QAIA’s airline network, which mark an important step in our mission to further increase the Airport’s reach and to further develop the capacities of Jordan’s prime gateway to the world.” - TradeArabia News Service