Queen Alia Airport plans $750 million redevelopment
Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) is being redeveloped at a cost of $750 million to enhance passenger capacity to 21 million by the year 2012. Plans include a state-of-the-art 86,000 square metre passenger terminal.
Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) is being redeveloped at a cost of $750 million to enhance passenger capacity to 21 million by the year 2012. Plans include a state-of-the-art 86,000 square metre passenger terminal.
The plans were announced at the Low Cost Airlines World MENA 2009 which concluded last week in Al Ain, UAE.
Curtis Grad, CEO, Airport International Group, of which QAIA is a part, said: “We expect Phase I of this terminal to be ready by early 2012. It will have a capacity to handle nine million passengers. Phase II will be able to handle additional 12 million passengers.
“We are looking at inbound traffic from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah and other parts of GCC markets to link up with QAIA and benefit from it. There are already six Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) that have a total of 80 arrivals and departures a week to Amman, Jordan. These are Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Bahrain Air, Sama Airlines, Nas Air and Fly Dubai.”
During the year, QAIA saw a 15 per cent increase in flight volumes, 10 per cent increase in passengers during the summer peak and a four per cent increase in passenger numbers till date. QAIA said that there is a strong link with the UAE considering that Invest AD, an investment company based in Abu Dhabi holds 38 per cent of its equity, followed by Kuwait’s Noor Financial Investments which owns 24 per cent equity.