CARC authorises Aqaba airport to operate, requires completion of technical standards

AMMAN — The Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) on Thursday authorised the King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba to operate the airport subject to completing the certification requirements.

In a memo dated Thursday, the CARC linked the certification renewal of the airport, which started since January 26, 2019, to completing the operating requirement, “including but not limited to recruiting competent safety personnel and implementing aircraft parking procedure”.

“The authorisation is granted for the public interest and is valid for 60 calendar days as of Thursday unless revoked by the commission,” the memo, which was made available to The Jordan Times, read.

Al Rai daily published a report on Wednesday, quoting CARC Chief Haitham Mesto as saying that the airport’s licence has not been renewed yet, attributing the reason to the airport’s failure to meet all the licensing requirements and conditions.

Mesto confirmed that the non-renewal of a licence certificate does not stop the airport from operation.

Nasser Majali, general manager of Aqaba Airports Company, was quoted in Al Rai’s report as refuting claims that the airport is unlicensed, saying: “The airport’s licence is renewed annually.”

Majali on Thursday said that airport is waiting to receive the licensing certificate from CARC after completing all the technical requirements as of July 8, adding that the airport has been licensed since March 2008 and the licence is renewed every two years.