Royal Jordanian Cargo returns to Maastricht Aachen
Royal Jordanian Cargo will commence five weekly flights from Queen Alia Airport in Amman, Jordan, to Maastricht Aachen Airport (MAA) in The Netherlands in June. The flights will be completed using A310 freighters.
The news amounts to a shift in Royal Jordanian's European hub. The carrier originally had used Amman as its hub, but had switched to Brussels Airport in 2007.
“To have Royal Jordanian Cargo return to our airport now is a clear choice for the quality and dedication that Maastricht Aachen Airport & Maastricht Handling Services provide to their customers each and every time their aircraft is on the tarmac,” the airport's CEO, Sander Heijmans, said in a statement.
The decision by Royal Jordanian is only a boost to what has already been a successful year for the airport. The airport saw a 10 percent increase in cargo during the first three months of 2011, a continuation of the 12 percent growth experienced during 2010. In March, the more than 25 million kilos of total volume flown into the airport set a new monthly record.
In a press release, an airport spokesman credited AirBridgeCargo, which added a fifth frequency in February, and Turkish Airlines Cargo, which is now operating an A330F at the airport, with this growth.
Heijmans said he thinks the addition of Royal Jordanian will only help continue this pattern of growth.
“This renewed partnership with an important Middle Eastern carrier is a vital part of the MAA’s strategy of connecting our region to the world’s emerging trading ports," he said. "These renewed flights open up direct possibilities to destinations such as Amman, Beirut and Cairo and further to Dubai and Saudi Arabia with main deck freighter capacity.”
