CARC to dispose of planes grounded at Jordan’s airports ‘for years’ 

AMMAN — The Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) is taking steps to dispose of a number of planes that have been grounded at Jordanian airports for years due to financial difficulties and liquidation challenges facing their corporate owners, Haitham Misto, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of CARC told The Jordan Times.

As of the beginning of 2023, CARC has disposed of eight planes, and work is underway to dispose of the rest of the aircraft, Misto said. 

“The presence of these salvage airplanes is endangering civil aviation safety and imposing environmental harm by attracting stray animals, migratory birds, insects and snakes,” Misto added. 

Some of the planes have been parked at Jordanian airports for decades, having originally been brought in for specialised maintenance work at aircraft maintenance centres. However, the planes were abandoned by their owners, who either could not afford the maintenance costs, or went out of business, Misto said.

“Currently, there are 17 planes parked at Queen Alia International Airport, six at Amman Civil Airport and one at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba,” he added. 

The costs of disposing of the aircraft are the responsibility of the owners or the companies that requested permits to bring them in for maintenance of other operations, the CARC official said.

The planes, which were carrying both Jordanian and non-Jordanian nationals at their time of landing, have lost their nationality certificates due to their prolonged stay at Jordanian airports, Misto added.

According to Misto, the presence of the planes has been a matter of concern for the Civil Aviation Authority “for years”, and their disposal is expected to ensure the safety of civil aviation at Jordan’s airports.