Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) new terminal update
Jordan has been witnessing economic growth over the past few years, and being a regional hub for passengers and airlines from all around the world, significant steps have been taken to restructure the transportation sector -especially its civil aviation industry- to meet the rapid increase of travellers to Jordan.
The Jordanian government has set out to fulfil the rapidly evolving demands of this vibrant and dynamic nation. Work on a new terminal in the already busy Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) has already started, and is expected upon completion to increase passenger capacity to 9 million annually in phase one, and 12 million in phase two. All works are scheduled for completion by the end of 2012.
Airport International Group (AIG) has been chosen to implement the rehabilitation and expansion work. AIG is a Jordanian consortium of companies, with gathered regional investors and international experts, such as: Invest AD, Noor Financial Investment, Edgo Group, J&P (Overseas) Ltd, Aeroports de Paris Management and J&P-Avax SA.
AIG’s vision is for Queen Alia International Airport is for it to become the airport choice in the region, and to help in building strong global connections for Jordan.
The landscape at the airport is quickly transforming, with various works already completed. In June 2012, almost 85% of the new terminal was completed. Visitors to the airport can already see the new terminal emerging amidst QAIA’s existing two terminal facilities.
The stand-out design of the new terminal is in its roof; inspired by Bedouin tents, which is composed of 127 concrete domes, each weighing up to 600 tones! The master mind behind this distinctive architectural form is Sir Norman Foster.
Commercial zones within the existing terminals have also undergone investment and upgrading. Food and beverage outlets, newsstands, banking, retail shops and pharmacy services have gone through a makeover.
The airport will have two lounges; the Royal Jordanian Crown lounge, accessible by Crown Class passengers and any passengers traveling on first or business class out of or to Queen Alia International Airport, and The Four Seasons lounge will be located in Terminal 1. The airport is served by public transportation, as well as taxis, which cost on average 20 JD for the trip to Amman.
The airport expansion plan should be able to handle nearly three times as many passengers as its current capacity from a large number of destinations and airlines from and to countries all over the world. Airlines that fly to Amman Queen Alia Airport include :
Air Arabia, Air Arabia Egypt, Air France, Alitalia, Armavia, Austrian Airlines, Bahrain Air, British Airways, Cyprus Airways, EasyJet, EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad Airways , FlyDubai, Iraqi Airways, Gulf Air, Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Lufthansa, Middle East Airlines, Nas_Air, Neos, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Falcon, Saudia, Sudan Airways, TAROM, Turkish Airlines, UM Airlines, Yemenia and of course the kingdom’s own airline Royal Jordanian, Jordan’s national carrier established since 1963 with 59 destinations worldwide, which offers its passengers world class services and a sophisticated online booking system.
Airport International Group (AIG) strongly believes in the co-relationship with the society and community of which the company is part of, and they participate in several funds and campaigns, such as an anti-smoking campaign, where they sponsored an event implementation of the Government’s Public Health Law, which prohibits smoking in public places. AIG also contributed to the Union Education Fund, which is offered to the children of those who work in the transport sector. They also arranged for a blood donation day where a significant number of blood units were donated by its employees.