Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) has announced the establishment of Aqaba Airports Company (AAC), during a press conference held at the Grand Hyatt Amman, declaring the new company’s responsibility and commitment to managing and operating King Hussein International Airport (KHIA) in Aqaba. AAC already obtained the necessary licenses provided by the Jordan Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA).

The press conference was attended by General Manager of Jordan Civil Aviation Authority Suleiman Obeidat and Chairman and CEO of ADC Imad Fakhoury.

AAC is considered the pioneer in its field in Jordan and the first that has been awarded such a license. The company took all the necessary steps to qualify and has obtained the required licenses from JCAA. The establishment of this company is considered the government’s pilot project to stream JCAA’s role to monitor and regulate the Kingdom’s airports without having to operate them.

Fakhoury stated that AAC is entirely owned by ADC and was established to take on the responsibility of managing and operating KHIA on a commercial basis and according to best international standards in this domain.

Fakhoury also highlighted the company’s mandate to restructure the airport and upgrade the services provided to its customers as well as marketing it both regionally and internationally. All this comes as a first step towards converting the airport into a productive business unit, which will render easier the process of attracting a strategic partner from the private sector to take on the development and expansion of this facility, a matter that requires heavy financial contribution.

Obeidat displayed JCAA’s continued efforts in developing and restructuring the civil aviation and airports sector in the Kingdom, noting that the strategy of the transportation sector in relation to the aviation field for the years 2005-2007 aims to provide JCAA with financial and administrative independence, so as to accentuate its role of monitoring and organizing the Aviation Navigation Sector, working on commercial basis and acquiring independent policies in the field of aviation transportation on international, regional and national levels. This will be implemented through the new open sky policy that will be implemented in Jordan next year on reciprocal basis, in addition to the development of the airport’s infrastructure to increase its power of competitiveness and to increase flight frequency and attract more international aviation companies to Jordanian airports.

Fakhoury also stated that ADC has all the necessary financial and technical qualifications to accelerate the execution of the comprehensive masterplan for developing Aqaba in a way which guarantees integrated comprehensive development, and converts the city into a leading business hub through partnership with the private sector.

Fakhoury pointed out that the Aqaba port is part of the strategic assets owned by ADC that also include KHIA and strategic parcels of land. ADC takes the responsibility of developing and managing all these assets as well as public utilities and infrastructure rights in the zone.

Star Newspaper
 

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