Ammon News - The Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed 3,248,467 passengers (PAX) during the first half of 2022, according to the Airport International Group statistics.

The QAIA also registered 31,547 aircraft movements (ACM) and 29,148 tons of cargo - representing 17.0% and 40.5% declines, respectively, compared with H1 2019. Meanwhile, during the month of June, the QAIA handled 711,983 PAX, 6,211 ACM and 5,673 tons of cargo - marking decreases of 14.9%, 17.1% and 30.1%, respectively, as opposed to June 2019.

Overall traffic growth during the first six months of 2022 was driven by the resumption and introduction of airlines and routes to QAIA's global networks, the statement said. These included the launch of regular flights from Amman to Washington DC via United Airlines, to Jeddah and Riyadh via flyadeal, to Alexandria via Alexandria Airlines and to Abu Dhabi via Wizz Air Abu Dhabi - in addition to the re-commencement of routes to Antalya, Copenhagen, Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, Rome, Montreal and Najaf via Royal Jordanian, as well as the opening of new routes to Toronto via Royal Jordanian and to Rome, Milan and Vienna via Wizz Air Hungary. Moreover, top destinations that contributed positively to recorded traffic figures included Istanbul, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dubai and Cairo.

"The promising results noted during the first half of the year have been a step forward for QAIA following the coronavirus crisis, with passenger numbers showing steady progress over recent months," said Airport International Group CEO, Nicolas Claude. "Though we have not yet fully recovered, we look forward to witnessing what the remaining six months of 2022 will bring, as we stay committed to delivering a welcoming and memorable travel experience at Jordan's prime gateway to the world," he added.