Transport

Gaza conflict hits passenger volume at Jordan’s airport

By Pramod Kumar

August 20, 2024, 8:25 AM

Passenger numbers at the airport fell 5 percent annually to 5.1 million in the first seven months of 2024

The number of passengers at Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan fell 5 percent year on year to 5.1 million in the first seven months of this year, as a result of the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Aircraft movement declined by 5 percent, while cargo volumes dropped 35 percent between January and July, Airport International Group, the airport operator, said in a statement.

“The ongoing Gaza war continues to adversely impact airline operations and tourism flow, thus affecting our traffic numbers for July,” Airport International Group CEO Nicolas Deviller said.

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Airport International Group signed a build-operate-transfer concession pact in 2007 with the Jordanian government to manage Queen Alia International Airport’s rehabilitation, expansion and operation.

The airport receives more than 97 percent of passengers coming to Jordan and handles 99 percent of air cargo in the country. It expects to generate 278,000 jobs and contribute nearly JOD4 billion ($5.6 billion) in GDP by 2032, according to a 2019 International Air Transport Association report.

Jordan’s tourism revenue was $2.6 billion in the first five months of 2024, down 6.5 percent on the same period last year, according to the central bank. Visitor numbers were down 10 percent.

In July, Jordan Hotels and Tourism Company reported a 23 percent decline in net profit for the second quarter of 2024 as a result of revenue decline amid conflict in Gaza.

Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, the number of European and North American visitors to Petra, the historical site that is the kingdom’s prime tourism attraction, has fallen steeply. This drop has been partially offset by an increase in visitors from the Gulf and trips by Jordanian expatriates.